Misunderstanding Scars
by Lov3the3vil
Summary: An act of betrayal convinces Ranma it's time to leave the dojo for good. After a visit with Nodoka, he leaves with a new name and hopes for a new life. Settling in New Jersey seemed like the best thing he could've done. Ever. It was.
1. Misunderstanding Scars

DISCLAIMER: I don't own shit. So don't sue me.

A/N: Chapter's been edited and the story is finished. (All review answers on any chapters will be deleted over the course of the week.)

Chapter 1

The lights flash and land on the band and me. I walk up to the mike and flash a smile to the crowd as Jon starts playing the guitar and Mike hits the drums. I wait a brief minute before my cue comes on.

_I'm an angel with broken wings  
Who's poisoning the night  
With love, from me to you_

I look among the crowd and I spot her. The one I had left behind several years ago. She probably doesn't recognize me. I _did_ change over the years. However I'm also sure that Nabiki sold her the info on who I was. It would explain why she's here.

_I'm having an episode  
Do want a small bit part  
I think you might, oh, I hope you do_

_Oh, baby, go so slowly  
Nowhere, nothing, quiet softly_

I hear the crowd cheering and screaming my name, along with Mike, Jon, and Sammy's. As I sing the chorus Sammy joins in. And out of the corner of my eye I see Sasha singing along as well.

_The world falls apart  
In just seven days  
It sinks to the bottom  
In oceans of rain  
The cure is so clear  
The blood is astray  
And everyone dies  
Except for the rain_

Sasha. Wow, I could say so much about her right now. I _want_ to say so much about her. But there are really no words to describe her. She's just Sasha and, in many ways, she's my savior.

_And I think that I'm  
Starting to scare myself  
And I think that I'm  
Starting to scare myself_

I was a sad heart-broken 19 year old when I came to America...actually I was in Brazil when I came to terms with my betrayal...but that's besides the point. When I came to Jersey all I had was Tony, the guy who helped me master my greatest weakness. Shortly after I had Sasha too.

_I hate myself and I want you to die  
So insincere, swallowing ice  
And it all, will render useless_

_Welcome to enhancement by affiliation  
Time swept by in a hungry nation  
And everybody's dancing  
To get it off their chests  
And everybody dies  
No one gets to rest_

Of course it wasn't just Sasha and Tony who helped me through my trauma. Jon, Mike, and Sam helped a lot too. Though Mike was more useful as a distraction, nonetheless he was helpful in my...recovery.

_Oh, baby, go so slowly  
Nowhere, nothing, quiet softly_

_The world falls apart  
In just seven days  
It sinks to the bottom  
In oceans of rain  
The cure is so clear  
The blood is astray  
And everyone dies  
Except for the rain_

I think it was around the time that I first joined this band that I knew things were going to start looking up.

_And I think that I'm  
Starting to scare myself  
And I think that I'm  
Starting to scare myself_

_(And I think, and I think I'm  
Starting to scare myself  
And I think, and I think I'm  
Starting to scare myself  
And I think, and I think I'm  
Starting to scare myself  
And I think, and I think I'm  
Starting to scare myself)_

Look at me, I'm reminiscing. C'mon, man, get yourself back in the song...

_Go slow for the  
Angels will fall  
For the bitterness  
Of this orgy god  
Half lives  
With secular law  
Suspended in a drug like  
In a drug like  
In a drug like  
In a drug like  
State of bliss_

As I focus my mind back on the here and now I step away from the mike and let Mike, Sam, and Jon finish the song. I wait until the crowd quiets down so I can speak. While all this is happening I can't stop the smile that I wear.

Normally I wouldn't do this, since many of the people here are locals and live nearby me. But that someone who I'd left behind years ago need to know I'm not who I used to be.

"Hey there everybody. I guess I should introduce the band and myself for the few people who I don't recognize. I'll introduce the band first, since without them I wouldn't be standing here."

"Our guitarist is the one and only Jon Horton," A tall man coming in at about 5' 10", Jon was probably the smartest of the band. May have been because he graduated before the others, being a few years older can do that. Jon wears his brown hair short and has several piercing on his left ear. With piercing green eyes and a well-toned body, one rivaling mine, (though my eight-pack is better. ;)) and soft facial features, he's a lady's man. Though he doesn't search for girlfriends anymore, since our last tour he's found the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

Next I turned to Mike, "Mike Buckner be our man on the drums," He's the shortest of our group, coming in at 5 ft. He's got brown hair that's dyed green and dark green eyes to match. He's a pretty skinny dude, but drumming has given him good arm muscles.

Then I turned to Sam, "Sam Woodbury, our kick ass bass guitarist," Sam is a few inches taller than Mike, she's 5'5", a fact she loves to tease Mike about and a fact he hates. She's got long brown hair with blue streaks in it. 3 piercings in each ear and one on her bellybutton. And a slim figure that was skinny but not too skinny. Her motto to all too preppy and giddy girls is: "I would kill to have a body like yours...in my trunk." Usually they aren't seen around anymore.

Finally I turned to the crowd, "And I'm Ryuu Mouko, the lead singer," I bowed. Taller than Sam but shorter than Jon, I come in at 5'8". Short black hair with blue tiger-like stripes and 5 piercings on my ears in total; 3 on the left and 2 on the right. I have blue-gray eyes and a lean build. I've got the build of a martial artist who occasionally practices, but also spends time singing and skateboarding.

After straightening up from my bow I opened my arms wide and flashed my lady-killer smile, "And together we form Misunderstanding Scars!"

:Sound similar to a record being stopped mid-spin is heard:

But I guess you would all like to know how I got to this point in my life. So let's go back to the beginning, back to when I first left. And found my first feeling of betrayal. Heh, never hit me until then just how blind I was to her feelings. But I'm getting off track. So go ahead, hit that flash back button, and let's get started.

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames will be used to fend off lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil


	2. Akane's Betrayal

Akane's Betrayal

Okay well, here we are. 4 years into my past, and on the day I decided I would leave the Tendo's for good.

I was walking home alone that day. The reason, I had stayed after school for extra help. I needed serious work on my English, and Miss. Hinako, surprisingly enough, agreed to help me out.

And today was a great day. I hadn't fought with Akane, and Miss. Hinako didn't sap me of all my strength. Yeah, today was an awesome day, and _nothing_ was going to ruin this day for me...at least, I had thought so.

I walked in the door like every other day, "Tadaima!" I shouted as I took my shoes off.

I walked into the kitchen to see if Kasumi had made any snacks, "Hey, Kasumi-chan? Do ya have any snacks lying around?"

Kasumi turned from the stove she was cooking at and smiled at me, "I do have a few cookies if you would like some, Ranma-kun."

I grinned, "That would be awesome, Kasumi-chan. Could I get some milk with them?" Yes, I was working on manners as well. My Biology teacher told me I wouldn't get very far talking like a thug all my life. And I had dream that wouldn't get accomplished with thug talk.

"Of course, Ranma-kun," Kasumi lowered the stove temperature and moved to get the cookies. I went to go grab the milk and a glass.

A few minutes later found me making small talk with Kasumi in the kitchen while I washed the dish I ate off of. It took some convincing but I managed to keep Kasumi from washing them herself.

As we were talking sudden...thumping sounds were heard overhead.

Looking up at the ceiling I asked Kasumi, "Uh, Kasumi-chan, would you happen to know what those sounds are?"

I looked back at Kasumi and her face looked like she was deep in thought. A minute later she looked up at me, "No, Ranma-kun, I wouldn't know."

I finished washing my dish and put it to the side to dry, "I'll go check it out, Kasumi-chan," I quickly dried my hands and walked up the stairs.

_Hmm, they sound like they're coming from Akane's room..._ I walked towards Akane's room and the sounds became more distinct. I could clearly hear moaning and grunts. I moved to knock on the door, not without a deep blush mind you.

After a few knocks it was clear the participants of the room were too...busy to hear my knocks. So I waited for the noises to die down, I went into my room and started my homework with my CD player on, I could still hear the faint sounds coming from Akane's room though.

After 20 minutes I couldn't hear the noises anymore. "Finally..." I walked out of my room and knocked 3 times before entering.

Nothing, in the entirety of my 18 year life, could have prepared me for what I found when I entered that room.

"A-Akane?" Was all I could muster from my mouth at the moment.

Akane turned in her bed to find me standing in her doorway. Her eyes widened, "R-Ranma?" At that point she panicked I guess, "It isn't what it looks like!"

That did it, the anger I was feeling came out in a wave, "It isn't? 'Cause from where I'm standing it looks like you were having sex with Ryoga!"

Ryoga sat up at this point and scratched the back of his head, "I guess it is what it looks like..."

I turned to glare at him; I smirked inside when I saw a small yellow stain form on Akane's comforter, before turning back to Akane.

"For two years you doubted my loyalty to you! Two fucking years! Two fucking years I was blamed for shit that I didn't do and shit that wasn't my fault! And then you go turn around and sleep with another man who isn't even your fiancé!" I was pissed, no, I was raging mad. And if my death glare wasn't enough proof, I guess the blood red aura surrounding me was.

"Well, it's your fault too, Ranma! Had you told me your real feelings earlier this would have never happened!" Akane tried to argue back.

"My true feelings?" I laughed a wry laugh, "Akane, dear, my true feelings you should've known since the day I first saved your sorry ass! I saved your ass from so many people I've lost count. But I'll name some of the main people. Herb and Saffron," I saw Akane try to protest, "And don't you dare try to deny it, Akane! I have the fucking scars to prove it! The scars that proved my love for you!"

"What!"

"Yeah, that's right, I love you. Or the word now would be loved," I turned and left for my room, slamming the door behind me.

I walked into my room and began packing all my clothes, and basics. I came across a picture frame as I was emptying out my small dresser. It was a picture of everyone before the failed wedding attempt. Everyone looked so happy; I scoffed at the thought, "Heh, what a lie that turned out to be..."

I walked over to my window opened it up and threw it out the window. It landed neatly in the garbage can outside the gate.

When I turned back I saw Akane standing in the doorway. I glared at her, "What do you want?"

The venom in my voice made her flinch. I walked over to my bag and began closing it up.

"I...I wanted to- what are you doing?"

I walked over to the corner of the room and moved a ceiling tile over. I reached my hand up and felt around, finding what I was looking for I brought my hand back down. In it was a large wad of yen.

I didn't look at her, I grabbed my wallet and placed the money in it before putting it in my pants pocket, "I'll ask you one more time, what do you want?"

"Oh, I wanted to say sorry."

I picked up my bag and lifted it onto my shoulders before turning to face her, "Sorry? For what? Oh, I get it, you're sorry for ripping out my heart and stomping on it like a piece of shit."

She tried to argue again but I interrupted her.

"No, I don't want to hear it, Akane. You've chosen who you want, and it obviously isn't me. I don't want to end this on good terms because then I might try to come back. I don't want to come back, not this time," I walked past her and out the bedroom door. Ryoga confronted me on my way out.

"Ranma-"

"Shut up, Ryoga. I don't want to hear it from you either. I'm leaving now, and you can't stop me. Now get out of my way before I punch our face in," Harsh, yes, but effective.

I walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen, "Kasumi-chan."

Kasumi turned to face me and, upon seeing the bag, nodded in understanding, "I heard the whole argument. I'm sorry it ended up this way, Ranma-kun."

I nodded, "Yeah, me too."

I saw the tears start to slowly stream down her face. I placed my bag on the floor and moved forward to engulf her in a hug. She buried her face in my shirt and cried.

"Shh...don't cry, Kasumi-chan. It's okay. It's all going to turn out for the best, you'll see."

"I know, but..."

"Shh...don't worry, Kasumi-chan."

A few minutes later and her crying had subsided. I pulled her away lightly and looked into her eyes, "Are you better now?"

She nodded and sniffled cutely, "I'll walk you to the door."

I nodded and picked up my bag again. We walked to the door and I turned to face her. I gave her one last hug before placing a wad of yen in her hands.

She looked at the yen with wide eyes and tried to give it back. But I shook my head and smiled, "No, it's for everything you've done for me, Kasumi-chan. Spend it on yourself. Get out of the house for once. Live the life a true 21 year old should," I smiled a softer smile, "Fix the Doc of his fear and tell him your feelings. You never know, he could feel the same way."

Kasumi blushed and nodded. She waved lightly while she leaned against the door jam. I waved back before turning down the road towards Mom's house.

(-)

Akane watched Ranma talking to Kasumi from the guest room window. As he waved she watched sadly as he left.

Looking down at the garbage can she had seen him throw something into she spotted that "something".

It was the picture taken before the failed wedding. The glass was cracked. But what made her gasp was the area of the picture where Ranma was standing was fine. The glass seemed to have cracked all over, crisscrossing over everyone's face. Everyone except Kasumi's and Nodoka's.

"Is it an omen?" Now usually Akane wasn't the superstitious type. But the way the glass cracked was too much of a coincidence.

(-)

I sighed as I made it to Mom's house. It wasn't a long walk. But the fact that I had to walk to Juuban was what made me sigh. I ran into a youma and 5 girls in mini skirts, the girls were trying to take the youma down with magic of some sort.

The fact that the youma was good with speed didn't help the fact that it took too long for the girls to say the names of their attacks. When I arrived I stood there for a minute before getting bored and frying the youma with a single well aimed Mouko Takabishi.

After that I walked off and headed towards Mom's house. Now here I was. Standing in front of the house. Wondering how the hell I'm going to explain everything to her. But, I guess I should start from the beginning and tell her everything.

Now that that's settled, to somehow make my legs move towards the door...

After 3 minutes I finally managed to walk to the door and ring the doorbell. When the door opened I came face to face with Mom. Now that I was, for once, male while meeting with her I noticed how short she seemed to me.

I looked down at her and into her eyes, trying to read her emotions. Obviously she was doing the same thing.

"Mom...I'm home," I said with a small smile.

I was, at that moment, engulfed in a hug that rivaled the Amazon Glomp.

"M-Mom...can't...breath..." I managed to get out.

"Oh my, I'm sorry! I was just so excited to finally see you that...! Where have you been? How was your training trip?"

I smiled; it felt good to be able to see Mom, "Why don't we go inside and I can tell you _everything_ over a cup of tea?" I emphasized the word everything because I was hoping to get my Father divorced from my Mother or something.

An hour and a half later I finished telling my life's story I demonstrated my curse and then left for the bathroom to turn back. When I returned I sat down in my place, took a sip from my cup of tea and looked at Mom. She was gripping her katana tightly, and she looked angry.

I lowered my head, "If you think me unmanly I...I will go through with the seppuku contract."

Before I could say anymore I found myself in my Mother's arms.

"I would never make you go through seppuku. I never actually meant for you to go through with the seppuku contract, it was something I did to make Genma behave. Though even that did very little to make him change his ways."

She made me face her, "Your curse isn't bad. And do not worry about your fiancée troubles. I'll take care of those. As for your father...I will divorce him. And you will take up my maiden name."

I was happy that Mom accepted me for who I was and that she didn't condemn me for things that were out of my control. But I still had one thing to ask, "Mom? Do you think I'm manly?"

She looked at me with pride in her eyes, "Of course. And anyone who says otherwise is lying."

I smiled and gave her a hug. When I let go I told her why I left. When I was done I could hear her cursing under her breath. I couldn't hear everything, but certain words I could catch. Like "Bitch...slut...how dare she...I'll show that hussy..." It was quite amusing. But I needed Mom's help with some things.

"Mom?" She was still cursing, "Mom? Mom!" Finally cut from her cursing she looked at me.

"Yes, dear?"

"I really appreciate what you said you'd do for me, but I want to leave my past behind me. As much of it as I can. I know I can't get rid of all of it; my past has a way of biting me in the ass when I least expect it. But...I want to change my name."

She looked at me, and nodded, "I understand. Well, if you would like, I will disown you. And you can change your name to Ryuu Ranma. Instead of using my maiden name as your last name use it as your first name, and your first name as your last."

I nodded and smiled, "Good idea, Mom. Now comes the hard part. We only just reunited. But I want to leave for China as soon as I can."

Mom looked sad, "I understand your wanting to leave, but must you leave so soon? I can help make preparations for your trip to China if you stay for the night."

I shook my head, "I'm sorry, Mom. But I can't. Knowing Nabiki she's already hunting me down for something. I promise I'll stay in touch. And, if you can, I would like you to have Kasumi over every once in a while. She needs to get out of the house more often."

Mom nodded, albeit sadly, "Okay, so long as you keep your promise. When you get settled in China for a bit send me a letter, I'll send you a letter back telling you of how things are doing here, I should have the divorce done and the removal of you from the family tree done as well."

I bowed, "Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how much this means to me."

I hugged Mom and grabbed my bag. Walking out the door I looked back at her. Smiling at her I waved and turned to leave.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames will be used to fight off any lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil


	3. China Here I Come

China Here I Come

I walked up onto the shore and breathed a sigh of relief, "Ah, nothing gets the body ready for travel than a nice long swim to China," stretching I headed over to a local vendor and tried my best to speak Chinese.

"Where China am in?" Broken, yes, but roughly effective.

"You are in Shang hai, currently. Not very good with Chinese are you, boy?"

I scratched the back of my head, "Yes, very obvious?"

The man just laughed, "If those broken sentences of yours are any indication. Where are you heading?"

"Jusenkyo."

The man looked confused, "Jusenkyo? Why would you want to go to a cursed place like that? Unless you're looking for a cure?"

I nodded, "Yes, looking for cure. Do you speak Japanese?"

The man nodded and switched to Japanese, "Better for you?"

I nodded again and smiled sheepishly, "Much better. Thanks. Yes, I have a curse and I came to China looking to fix that problem. Would you happen to know which way I need to go to reach the springs?"

The man nodded and handed me a small booklet, "That'll help you get there. And don't worry, it's a special edition for Japanese folk."

He smiled a friendly smile and waved as I thanked him and headed on my way.

I walked into the village and bought some supplies, a few 'How to Speak Chinese' books as well. If I'm going to get around, I better learn to speak well, otherwise I'll end up like Shampoo...(shudder) I tremble to think of _those_ consequences.

After a few days of wandering and studying. I knew enough Chinese to get me where I wanted to and could speak almost full sentences. I was also slowly making my way to Jusenkyo.

A few _weeks_ later and I had learned decent Chinese and I had reached the springs. I felt giddy and came pretty close to dancing with joy.

As I came closer I looked around for the guide and found Plum instead.

I waved, "Nihao, Plum! Where's your father?"

Plum waved back and approached me, speaking in Chinese, "Glad to see your Chinese has improved."

I smiled, "Dramatically."

She smiled back, "Father is somewhere around here putting up signs for the springs. Half of the springs have returned since you left."

"That's terrific. I wonder...do you know if-?"

Plum interrupted me, "Yes, the spring of Nannichuan has been restored. We were about to send word since it had been restored a few days ago."

I frowned, "Don't worry about sending word to Nerima. I'll...tell them personally when I return."

Plum looked confused at my frown but I smiled, "Ah, there's your father."

I waved as he approached, "Nihao!"

The guide waved back, "Nihao, honored sir. Have you come for cure?"

I replied in Chinese, "Yes, I've come to get my cure."

The guide smiled, "I see you've improved your Chinese. That is excellent."

"Yes it is, can we go get my cure? In my opinion I've lived one year too many with this curse."

The guide nodded and led me to the spring. He pointed and I jumped in without any hesitation what so ever. When I emerged I was male and I was grinning like a mad man. Plum splashed me with cold water just to make sure I was completely cured, and to double check she poured hot water on me too.

I smiled. Plum smiled. The guide smiled. Then the guide spoke, "Go ahead, let it all out. We know you want to cheer."

My smile grew wider, if it was possible, and I let out a great big whoop! I cheered, I yelled, I laughed. I jumped around and had fun.

When I had finally calmed down, I went over to the guide and bowed, "Thank you, sir. But, ah, I would like to know your name."

The guide nodded, "My name is Fenton Saito," and he bowed.

I bowed back, "Ranma Ryuu."

Saito looked confused, "Wasn't...Ranma your first name?"

I shook my head, "Mom divorced Pop. So my last name was Ryuu. But I wanted to leave all the shit I was thrown into behind and start things anew. So Mom disowned and we gave myself a new name."

Plum look stricken, "Your mother disowned you?"

"Hey, now! Don't make it seem like my mom's the enemy here. We agreed to have me disowned. On the condition that I stayed in touch whenever I settled down for a few days. This way she needn't have to worry," I sighed, that was the best I could do to explain my situation, "I'm a ronin now. But it's only because that's how I wanted it to be."

Saito nodded, "So what will you do now?"

"Well, first things first," My stomach growled, "I'm hungry. So I'm gonna make myself something to eat," I grinned. And after much fussing from Plum was dragged into the cottage for dinner and set up to stay with them for the few days I planned on staying.

(-)

The morning came quickly. I was up just a few minutes before sunrise. I rolled up my futon and headed outside to stretch for a bit. I jumped onto one of the poles above the many springs and watched the sun rise.

It was beautiful. It was a large array of pinks, oranges, and reds. I stared for a few minutes before doing some aerial katas on the bamboo poles.

I was so engrossed in my exercise I never realized Plum had been standing there staring. I jumped down from the poles and landed lightly in front of here. Waving a hand in front her face I asked, "You done staring? It's rude," The smile that accompanied my words took the sting out of them.

Plum snapped out of her daze and blinked a few times before blushing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. But the way you moved up there...it was like a dance..."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm sure that wasn't why you're out here."

Plum nodded, "Breakfast is ready if you would like some."

My stomach growled and I smiled, "Yeah, I guess I could use some food about now. Thanks."

Plum laughed as we walked back into the cottage. We ate breakfast. And when we finished I went out to practice some more, I had to work off the calories I had gained from breakfast.

After a few hours of that I went into the cottage to inform Saito that I was leaving for a bit. And that if I wasn't back in at least 5 hours to pack my bag for me.

"Why would we need to pack your bag?" Saito was giving me a funny look.

I shrugged, "Hey, I never know who I'm gonna piss off. Today I might get off lucky, but knowing my luck I'll have pissed off a few elders and end up running back here, tripping, and getting cursed again."

Saito laughed saying it was slim shot. But if I didn't return in 5 hours they would pack my bag for me. I thanked him and headed towards Joketsozuko Village. I had some unfinished business to attend to with a certain elder...

(-)

I walked up to gates and was signaled to stop where I was by the two guards by the gate. They approached me.

"Who are you, state your business," One of them said.

_One last time_, I spoke clearly to them, "I am Saotome Ranma. I have come to tie up loose ends with elder Kuh Lon."

It seems they had heard of me because while one went to go speak with the elders the other stayed and pinned me, or at least tried to, with a speculative glare. I ignored her while I waited patiently. I think I startled her bit when I sat down and began to meditate. I think I pissed her off too, 'cause I could hear her cursing under her breath about stupid, arrogant, shit-head men.

I smirked and mentally thought that this woman needed to get laid, and soon. Unless she was a lesbian or PMSing, no woman hated men _that_ much. (Unless they enjoy torturing the stupid boys they encounter 0:))

A minute later the guard returned with a crippled looking woman. I looked a bit closer and smiled; the "cripple" was Cologne.

"Nihao, Kuh Lon. It's been a while," I greeted her.

She looked a bit surprised that my Chinese was so good, though I might just be being modest.

"Nihao, Ranma. What brings you to these parts?" She questioned. For a moment I wondered if she knew some of the springs had returned at Jusenkyo.

"A cure, and to tie up some loose ends regarding the Amazons," I stood up and the women who was watching me pointed her spear at my neck. I growled, "Do you seriously think you can stop me with that stick?"

The women pressed her luck by pressing the tip of the spear to my neck, supposedly trying to threaten me.

I snarled, grabbed the spear from her hands, and broke it like a twig. It all happened in a few seconds.

I glared at the woman before turning to Cologne, "May we please go somewhere to discuss our business?"

Cologne nodded and told the guards to stand down, then motioned me to follow her into the village. She led me to a small hut where we sat and she prepared some tea.

We talked while she prepared the tea, "So what loose ends must you tie up?"

"The Kiss of Marriage for one thing, is there anyway to get it annulled?" I asked.

"Yes, two ways actually, but I doubt either one would work," She handed me my teacup.

"Thank you," I sipped my tea, "What are they?"

"The first is if you die and the second is if you are disowned from your family."

"My Mother disowned about a month ago," Straight to point, I love being blunt about things.

Cologne choked on her tea, "What?"

I nodded, "That's right. Marriage annulled."

"How did this come to happen?"

"I asked her to disown me."

"But...why?"

I sighed, I wasn't going to tell her the whole story, just..._some_ of it.

"I left the Tendo Dojo for good. I'm _not_ going back. Not now anyway, maybe in a few years. I needed to start my life anew. And I knew that wasn't going to happen while I was Saotome Ranma."

"But you told them that "Saotome Ranma" was here to see me."

I nodded, "That's right 'Saotome Ranma' _is_ here to see you. But as soon as I finish my business here I'm Ranma Ryuu, ronin."

Cologne just stared for a bit, then she smiled, "You're a smart boy, Ranma. Or, would it be Ryuu now?"

I smiled, "Ryuu's fine."

Cologne nodded, "I know now that we can never have you a part of this tribe."

"Damn right, I ain't the submissive type. Never was, never will be."

"But we cannot afford to have you against us either. Would you agree to be this tribe's ally?"

I sipped my tea and thought about it, in the end it not only benefited the tribe, but me as well. I nodded, "Yes, you have my word as a man and a martial artist that I will be there for your tribe when you need it."

Cologne nodded back, "And I, as head elder for the village, accept that fact and agree that we will try our best to be there for you when you need it as well."

I smiled while we finished our tea and exchanged small talk. 2 hours later and I was ready to leave. I had presented myself among the other elders and had announced my alliance to the tribe. In return I had become an official blooded warrior and was declared "immune" from all normal outsider rules, and was to be treated as an equal.

I was happy that I had tied up loose ends. And I was looking forward to Plum's cooking, she was almost as good as Kasumi..._almost_.

(-)

I walked into the valley of Jusenkyo and tried to hurry over to the cottage. It was getting dark. Dark was not a good thing when you were wandering around near cursed springs. Unfortunately my feet made a point of that by tripping and landing me in a spring.

I trotted, yes trotted, out of the spring and shook my fur. I growled, _I hate my life._

Plum and Saito had run out at the sound of my cursing and the splash I made as I fell. Plum was holding the lantern, while Saito laughed his ass off.

Amidst his laughter he managed a few words, "Well...you made it...back...and only...half your..."prophecy"...came true..." That was all he managed before bursting out laughing again.

I growled at him, _You fucking asshole, get me hot water or something!_ I screamed in my mind.

Plum left her father laughing on the ground and led me into the house. She showed me the full-length mirror she had in her room. And while she went to get a kettle ready for me, I took time to study my cursed form.

I was a tiger. I had sleek black fur and blue stripes that matched my eyes surprisingly well. I turned in front of the mirror slowly studying my body. I was...an awesome looking tiger if I do say so myself.

Just then something hit me. I was a tiger. A very big _cat_. Yet I haven't freaked yet, _Strange. I usually go berserk by now._

I decided to put it off till a later time. Most preferably when I wasn't so tired. I laid down waiting for Plum to return with some hot water. I ended up falling asleep.

(-)

"Ranma...Or should I call you Ryuu now?"

I looked around the huge black space I was standing in and saw my new cursed form standing there, "Ryuu, call me Ryuu, please."

The tiger nodded, "Do you know who I am?"

I nodded this time, "Yeah, you're my cursed form...or would you be the Neko-ken?"

The tiger smiled as best a tiger could and bared his fangs, "You're smarter than they say, Ryuu."

I nodded, "I like to think so. What's this all about though?"

"I've come to talk to you about the Neko-ken. I cannot have you running around going berserk at every sight of a cat. It's a disgrace to all Neko-ken masters."

I stood shocked, "There're Neko-ken masters?"

"Yes, but they're all dead now. Sad really...but back to business. I want to teach you to control it, or rather combine you with it in a way. I can't think of the proper word for it right now, but...would you consider it?"

I thought about it for a while, "What would the side-effects be?"

The tiger thought about it for a while as well, "A few physical changes. Your eyes will gain a more feral look to them, and you might gain tiger like stripes in your hair, blue of course. You'll gain the powers you get when you go Neko-ken, you'll lose your fear of felines, and because your curse is a tiger, a member of the feline family, you'll gain control of it."

"Control? What kind of control?" I asked. It all sounded too good to be true.

"Well like you would be able to transform into your cursed form whenever you like, and cold water won't affect you."

I liked it. I liked it a lot, "When can we start?"

The tiger smiled his fanged grin again, "Now, but understand it will take time. Your fear of felines and control over your curse will be the first steps established. Everything else will come to you naturally and slowly."

I nodded, "Understood," I saw the tiger start to fade, "And thank you."

The tiger nodded just before he disappeared.

(-)

Ryuu woke up with a start. He was still in his tiger form and his clothes were folded neatly beside him. It was also morning.

_Shit, how long have I been out? Oh well, better change back and see if that tiger wasn't lying..._

I focused and thought about being in my human form again. When I opened my eyes I was standing buck-naked and I noticed idly that Plum was standing in the doorway. She had a deep blush on her face and seemed to be staring below the belt.

I smirked, "Like what you see?"

That got her. She 'Eeped!' and ran out of the doorway. I walked to the door and closed it laughing. I got dressed and put the few things I had back in my bag.

I walked into the kitchen just as Plum was serving breakfast. I smiled and greeted them good morning. I couldn't help but give Plum a wink; she blushed so hard she looked like a tomato. I ate my breakfast slowly, for me anyway, it was all I could do to keep from laughing at Plum's embarrassment.

(-)

At last, it was time for me to go. I stood outside with Plum and Saito.

"Thank you both, for everything. The food, the place to sleep..."

Saito shook his head, "It was no problem, Ryuu. But are you sure you don't want a cure?"

"Nah, I think I could learn to live this one," I smiled.

"I'm sorry about this morning, it's just I-"

I cut her off, "Don't worry. But next time you walk in on a guy...don't stare. Just a small piece of advice." Plum blushed brightly again.

After we said our good-byes I headed southeast towards the coast. I was heading to the Philippines next. As I walked I used the hidden weapons technique I learned from Mousse.

Actually, I watched him use it so many times I just learned how to do it on my own. Slowly my things began to disappear into sub-space. I turned into a tiger and ran through the dense forest quickly. After coming close to a village near the coast I transformed back into a human, wearing my clothes I stored in sub-space, and walked out into the village.

I walked over to the coast, removed my shirt and began to stretch a bit. After a good half hour I began wading out into the water.

"I could get used to this life," After a minute I began the actual swim towards my destination, "Good-bye, China! Hello, Philippines!"

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames will be used to fight off lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil


	4. Healing Wounds

Healing Wounds

Several months have passed since I left China. And those months have brought me to many places. Argentina being one of them. It's a nice place, but I have no clue what language they speak, so I've avoided the main roads.

The fact that I've been trying to find my center and heal whatever damage Akane had done wasn't helping my trip...much. Though I'd have to say, I've gotten better. It doesn't hurt half as much as it used to when I think back on it.

"(Sigh)" I looked up at the sky and saw it starting to turn dark. I walked a ways off the road and set up camp. Grabbing some stationary and a pen I started a letter to my Mom and Kasumi.

Mom had taken my advice and invited Kasumi over for tea a lot. At first it was just when she got a letter from me. Then eventually it became a weekly ritual. One that they both looked forward to.

According to the letter Mom had sent me, before I left the Philippines, things were in chaos. Apparently Cologne had sent word to Shampoo about the annulment, and now Shampoo was attempting to hunt me down. But with no luck because I hadn't told anyone where I was going, I actually didn't know myself at the time. Kodachi had fully cracked and was sent to the insane asylum. (You know, the place with the pretty white padded walls, and the custom made jackets! 0:))

But not everything was in chaos. Ukyo was okay with it, sort of; she understood my need to leave. Though she had wished I would have said good-bye personally. But according to Mom, Ukyo and Konatsu were getting along better and better lately. Akane was engaged to Ryoga. Kasumi had been visiting Dr. Tofu more often, though she thought his fits were getting worse every time, and Mom had divorced Pops and had me removed from the family tree.

So everything was pretty normal. As I wrote a letter back to them I asked how everything was. How Kasumi was. And how Mom was doing. I told them of the improvements I had noticed since I began slowly mastering the Neko-ken.

This month it was my hair, reflexes, and chi claws. My hair had gained blue tiger stripes similar to my cursed form. My reflexes had improved dramatically. And I had started to come close to mastering my chi claws.

My eyes had gained a feral look to them two months after China. My speed and strength improved after I left Indonesia and half way to Madagascar. My eyesight had improved sometime around my visit to the Cape Town port in South Africa. I could see better than a hawk and I had night vision.

I smiled to myself. I _loved_ my night vision. Made hunting _a lot_ easier. Then again, so did my cursed form. And I didn't have a need to cook meat too often anymore, too. I slowly realized my life was getting better, and in a way, I thanked Akane for doing what she did. I silently wished her marriage to be successful, as in, she gets married but hates her husband.

Yes, I seemed to have gained a mischievous streak over the past few months. I think it's a side effect the tiger "forgot" to mention.

I told them all about what I had done since my last letter and was half way through it all when I heard a voice in the dark. He spoke in English.

"Excuse me, could you spare a traveling Martial Artist some warmth from a fire?"

"Who's asking? Step into the light so I can see my supposed guest."

And so he did. He stepped into the light. He was a fairly tall man coming in at about 5' 6" I guess. Only a few inches taller than me. He had brown hair that looked like it hadn't been cut in a while and a ragged beard. His eyes were a soft brown and he smiled at me.

"Koga, Miyuki Koga. That's my name. And I was just wondering if I could sit by your fire for a while. It gets pretty cold at night in these parts."

I shrugged, "Was never really bothered by the cold. Come, sit down. You seem like the nice guy type, though I've been fooled more than once," I sat thinking of what to say next as Koga approached and sat on the rock opposite me, "How long have you been traveling? You seem pretty familiar with these parts too."

He nodded, "I was born in Argentina. But I've been a traveler since I was 15 years old. I could ask you the same though, what brings _you_ around here? And how long have you been traveling?"

"Hmm...I believe I've been traveling for several months now. I'm here because I finally decided to head to the Americas. But I wanted to stop in Brazil first after here," I realized something, "Oh, where are my manners. My name's Ryuu, Ranma Ryuu."

He laughed a bit, "Don't worry about it. Manners are something rare amongst many travelers. Don't ask why, I'd figure it would be easier to find housing, but it is."

I nodded, "You mentioned you were a Martial Artist before...what are you mastering? Or should I say what have you already mastered?"

"I'm a master of Talon claw and Cat claw weapons. You're a martial artist as well I presume?"

I swelled with pride, "The best of the best! I'm the heir to Anything Goes Martial Arts, and master of the Neko-ken!" Damn my pride.

He laughed. But it wasn't like he was laughing _at_ me. It was more like he was laughing with me, don't ask me how.

"Hey! What's so funny? Do I got something on my face?"

If possible he laughed harder. And finally, after several minutes, calmed down enough to talk coherently.

"I'm sorry, it was just the way you said it. So filled with pride. How old are you Ryuu?"

"Uh...depends, what month is it?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "I'm a traveler, boy. I don't carry around calendars. And I haven't seen one in over a year and a half, either."

I shrugged, "I'm gonna guess and say I'm almost 19. Maybe a couple more months..."

He nodded, "So what are you going to do with yourself?"

I shrugged again, "Dunno. Gotta find my center first. Almost finished healing old wounds, now I gotta find my center again..."

"Your center, huh? Well, call it fatherly advice, I'm hitting 30 soon, but have you tried just letting your center...find _you_ instead of you finding it?"

I thought about it, "Never figured it that way...Thanks for the advice," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, "No problem. If you're interested, and not planning anything for next few days, I could teach you the basics of the Cat claw."

"Wow, really? I'd love that! Thank you!"

He smiled a bit wider, before yawning, "Now I think we should head to bed. It's fairly late now, and we have to get up early if I'm going to teach you."

"Yes, sensei," I said as I laid down with my futon set up.

He blinked and pointed, "Where'd that futon come from?"

I pointed at the futon I was laying on, "This? I had it set before. Didn't you notice?"

"I, uh...I guess not..." He blinked a few times before mumbling to himself, "I'm beginning to see things. Who knew senility would come so soon...?"

I snickered to myself. No sense in telling him more than I needed. Don't want to have to teach him the hidden weapons technique, don't quite trust him yet.

(-)

I woke up earlier than Koga and began my usual morning routine. He woke up just as I was finished.

We spent the whole day with the Cat claws. And we spent all of the next few days working them as well.

When we decided it was time to part ways, he handed me the Cat claws I had worked with.

I looked at them, "Huh? But, I can't take these. They're yours."

He shook his head, "I'm not a Neko-ken master. I've never been able to completely master the Cat claws, because of that reason. At first I didn't believe your claim of mastering the Neko-ken. But the next morning when I looked into your eyes…I saw it. The feral look all Neko-ken masters are said to have. And what proved my point more was the gold and green flecks in your eyes, they made you look more...cat like."

I blinked a bit, "But..."

He shook his head again, "Nope, take them. I won't take them back."

I sighed and nodded, "Fine. Just wish I could've given you something in return..."

"Don't worry. You're company was worth it. Good-bye, Ryuu. And good luck finding your center."

I smiled and waved to him as he began walking down the road. The opposite way I was going to start heading.

I placed the claws on my hands and made them disappear in sub-space. Next time I needed them they would appear on my hands, fitted, and ready for use.

After making sure the fire was out and wouldn't cause a fire I headed north, towards Brazil.

(-)

A/N: Okay, I had planned to stop the chapter here. But it just ended up being way too short. So I'm going to place the next chapter here too.

Mastering The Full Neko-ken

"Ah, peace, quiet and tranquility...tranquility and quiet are the same aren't they? Ah well..." Hey, I was alone and in the middle of a Brazilian rain forest. I could talk to myself if I wanted.

_I wish you wouldn't talk to yourself, it's embarrassing._ Came a voice in my head.

"Whoa! I recognize that voice...you're that tiger dude from my dream! Where are you? Where'd you come from?"

_Calm down. I'm in your head. And I figured you could use some guidance mastering your skills you've earned._

My eyes were kind of bugged, "Uh...okay...? But I can't keep calling you 'tiger dude'. What's your name?"

_I don't have a name really. But I _did_ hear this really nice name before..._

I was curious now, "What was it?"

_Tony. Can you call me Tony?_

I did a classic anime face fault, "What? Where the fuck did you hear that?"

_I heard it while we were in Bolivia for a few days. I thought it was cool..._

I sighed. Just what I needed. A voice in my head that was influenced by the media and cereal characters, "(sigh) Fine, _Tony_. That'll be your name for now."

_Hey, it's better than Shadow!_ Tony tried to argue.

"I can't believe you. My voice is more immature than I am...how sad..."

_Oh shut it. We have much work to do_, Suddenly Tony was all business. I think I like him better immature, _Then we eat! Did you buy any of that cereal we saw? _Never mind...

(-)

The days couldn't have passed fast enough for me. We spent at least half a month on each technique making sure I had it mastered.

First we worked on finding my center. Took a whole two and a half weeks for that. Though I _did_ find my center. And was happy to say I could talk about what happened back in Japan easily and without stuttering and shaking with fury. Though I _still_ want a piece of bacon bits...

Next, were the chi claws and Cat claws. He made me focus on extending the claws as far as I could get them, and can happily say that I can make them a good yard and a half, then focus on keeping them there for as long as I could. We spent a week on Chi claws, and then moved to Cat claws.

I learned katas that were long forgotten, mostly because Tony kept sending me images in my mind.

After that, we did my reflexes. I had those down pat. So he decided that I would spar him in my dreams. In both forms. I managed to be able to change very quickly during my battles. And was happy to discover everything I did in my dreams would transfer to my physical body. Anyone who doesn't believe that, I'll show them the damned claw marks the bastard left...

When we were finally done we figured out the date and found out that I was 19. And I had spent a good year during the whole trip. Meaning the whole thing seemed _much_ longer than it had been.

It was finally time to head north, to my next destination, New Jersey. Though I had to clean up first. The rivers near by the training area didn't cut it for the 6 and a half weeks I was in the forest.

I found a hotel, cleaned up, and had a good nights sleep with hopes of no sparring. My hopes weren't futile, Tony used the excuse that he believed we both needed a good nights sleep. Personally I think Tony had gotten tired of getting his ass beat. I snickered to myself as I slowly drifted to sleep. And I slept a dreamless sleep that night.

(-)

After finding a port nearby I bought a ticket and boarded the next boat to New Jersey.

I argued with Tony the whole way. He has a Cereal complex. But a guy _does_ eventually get tired of cereal everyday! I finally got tired of his nagging and sat down to meditate.

I retreated into my head. And I sparred with Tony. I beat him, told to shut up or I'd go on a cereal diet.

_A cereal diet? You can't go on one of those! You know what a diet is, don't you? It's _DIE_ with a t!_ Tony exclaimed at my announcement.

I laughed and disappeared, "I told you shut up or else. So shut the fuck up, you're beginning to annoy me."

As I walked to the railing to watch Brazil disappear over the horizon I wondered briefly why Tony hadn't disappeared when I mastered the Neko-ken. Maybe I _hadn't_ mastered the Neko-ken yet...

(Sigh) Oh well. Only time will tell. No offense to Tony though, but I really do hope he disappears before I get used to him. He gives me a headache...

_Hey! I heard that!_

_And what'd I tell you I'd do if you didn't shut up?_ I growled at him in my head.

He 'eeped' and shut up.

I sat down to finish my letter to Mom and Kasumi. I smiled and wrote down what had happened the past few months. Oh yeah, it was going to be a quiet and peaceful ride to New Jersey.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames will be used to chase away lawyers.


	5. Starting Over

Starting Over

I walked off the boat and looked around. We ended up in Ocean City port. I wanted to head more inland before I stopped and found someplace to stay. Areas around the port were usually busy and noisy. Not my type of thing.

I looked around for a place I could buy a map, and soon found a newspaper stand that sold maps as well. Paying for a map I opened it and stood off to the side. Determining country type places to find.

After a few minutes I decided to check out the nearest city, Somers Point, and from there head towards Vineland. After that I started walking towards my destination. We reached Somers Point by nightfall the next day, only because Tony wouldn't let me roof hop there.

We stopped in a hotel before resting for a while. I was lying on my bed and talking to Tony one night.

_Ryuu, you _have_ to understand something. You cannot, unless under dire circumstances transform or use chi recklessly!_

"And why the hell not, Tony?" I asked.

_Because! You are not in Nerima anymore! You're in New Jersey! And the people of New Jersey have most likely never even _seen_ a building be demolished by a single man's _pointer finger.

"Okay, but still, I don't see a reason I can't go out at night as a tiger."

_Because you never see a tiger roaming around the streets around here! That's why!_

"But how would you know that? You've never been in New Jersey, have you?"

_Well no, but...I'm sure they don't just let roaming tigers, well, roam in the streets freely._

"I'm sure they don't either, Tony. But how well can you see a _black_ tiger roam the streets at night...when it's _dark_ out?"

_Not very well, unless someone else has mastered the Neko-ken-_

"Then that's it. If I want to go out as a tiger, I go at night."

_And...?_

"(Sigh) And unless I am in _dire_ need of it, I do not under _any_ circumstances go tiger during the day. Happy now?"

_Yes, yes I am._

"Good. Now, you go and entertain yourself the way all tigers do, and I'll go and send my letter to Mom and Kasumi."

I could hear Tony mumbling a bit before it got totally quiet. I got up from the bed and threw a t-shirt on before heading out the door. Locking the door behind me I walked down the hallway and found the receptionist.

"Excuse, miss? Do you know where I could possibly mail a letter?" I asked.

The girl nodded, "Yes, we have a mailbox down the hallway and on your left."

I thanked the girl and went down the hallway. All the while thinking about making a few changes. By the time I had mailed the letter and was on my way back to my room I had decided what I was going to do.

I opened the door and changed my shirt. In place of the t-shirt I wore a different t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, it said "Walking Biohazard" and it had a biohazard sign on it. I had a dark blue button shirt on top of it, unbuttoned, and black cargo pants.

On my way out I locked the door, again, and headed towards the nearest barbershop.

(-)

The barber finished clipping my hair, "Finished. I must say, I did a very good job with you, boy."

I stood up from the chair and wiped the few strands of hair off my clothes and arms. I looked into the mirror that stood in front of me and admired the barber's work.

I ran my hand through my now short hair. It came up in natural spikes and the blue stripes had remained in my hair giving it a cool look to it.

I smiled and turned to the barber, "Thank you, it looks great," Handing him the amount he had asked for I walked outside and decided I needed one more thing. A reminder of my hardships. Something that would never fade. Something that would keep me linked with my past no matter how far into my future I traveled.

I walked further down the street and found another shop. I smiled and walked inside.

I picked my selection and sat down in the chair after paying the man. I endured the session of pain and sat still as the man worked on my arm.

When he was done he smiled at me, "It's done. It should take a week and a half to fully heal." (I've never gotten a tattoo before so I don't know the real amount of time it takes to heal. If anyone lets me know I'll change it.)

I thanked him and left. The tattoo I had gotten was a barbed wire that wraps around my left bicep, and a small droplet of blood under one of the thorns.

The barbed wire wrapping around my arm symbolized the hardships I've endured and lived through and the memories that will never leave me. While the droplet of blood reminds me of the sacrifices I've made to get where I am today, to be who I am. The perfect tattoo.

I stopped at a cafe on my way back to the hotel, and grabbed a...Mountain Dew they called it. It was an interesting soda. Different from what we had in Japan, but...it was better, in a way.

As I was heading back to my room, already at the hotel, I was anticipating night to come. I wanted to be able to run around in my tiger form. I had been itching to run around all day. That night I would pay for my stay and leave. Until then, the sandman was calling.

(-)

Night hadn't come fast enough for me as I ran across rooftops inspecting the area, in my tiger form.

Those who saw me only saw brief glimpses. And even then I was a black blur to them.

I flew, quite literally considering I barely touched the roofs of the buildings before I was bounding to the next one, and relished the feeling of momentary flight.

Eventually I came to a stop. I was in front of a large sign that said, "Welcome to Vineland". I had arrived at my destination. I jumped down to the road below me and transformed back.

I sighed as I endured a small lecture about what I was allowed to do and what I wasn't. I laughed at Tony lightly and started down the road.

It was morning by the time we were inside the town. I bought a newspaper and looked through the For Rent section with all the apartments.

(-)

It was mid-day and I had checked every apartment and room available. None of them would allow me a room without pay for the first month. I was standing in front of a house on a random street talking to myself in frustration.

"Why does no one let people skip on _one_ month of rent?" I asked my self.

_Because they're greedy and they have trust issues_, Tony answered.

"And I _still_ have no place to stay!" I yelled to myself.

Little did I realize there was someone behind me listening to my little tirade. Again, little did I realize she would also help change the course of my life.

"Excuse me, do you need a place to rent?" a voice came from my side.

I turned around and saw a girl around my age standing to my side. She had long black hair with her bangs dyed red. She had brown almost amber eyes. She was standing by the door of the building with a "For Rent" sign in her hands.

"Uh...yeah, I guess."

"I also understand that you need a month free of rent. Why's that?" She asked.

"I need to find a job so I can _pay_ the rent."

"Oh, well, I think, if you want to try staying here, I can skip a month of rent. Though you'll owe me."

I smiled, maybe things were looking up, "Of course, I wouldn't _dream_ of cheating you out of rent. But apparently people have trust issues around here."

She smiled, "You're different from most of the men around here. Come in, and I'll show you around. You might like the place, my name's Sasha Metsuretsu by the way. What's your name?" She asked as we walked inside.

"Ryuu Mouko," I answered.

"Nice to meet you, Ryuu, now on with our tour."

It was fairly small but big enough to house two people. When you walked in the door a dining table sat off to the side where further down was an entryway to the den. A few feet away from the front door was a small hall that had 3 doors at the end.

On the left was a bedroom, directly in front of you was a bathroom, and to your right was another bedroom. Heading back towards the den brings you by the kitchen with a small island for eating. And if you headed down the stairs to the den you'd be in the living room, which _was_ the den. It had two nice sized, comfy looking, couches. A fireplace, a 32" TV with surround sound. Off to the far right corner, if you were facing the stairs back to the kitchen, was a computer center.

There was another set of stairs next to the computer center, leading to the basement. Down there you could see was a lounge room of sorts. It had another TV, video games, beanbags, a pool table, a dart board (complete with darts), and a 300-watt stereo with a separate subwoofer.

All in all it was a nice house. I turned to her after a bit more exploring.

"So? How do you like it?"

I smiled, "It feels like home, when can I move in?"

(-)

Ah, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We had many things in common and Sasha even introduced me to my new addiction. Skateboarding. Turns out she co-owned a skate shop with a guy named Charlie. And that she was one of the best in town.

Later on I would meet Mike, Jon, and Sam. But that's not until a month after I started skateboarding. _And_ I had found a decent job at Lov3 Th3 3vil. But let's get back to my story, shall we?

(-)

I walked into the skate shop known as Lov3 Th3 3vil.

"Hey, Sasha, need any help back there?" I yelled out to the backroom.

"It's about time you got here! Come back here, I need help lifting some boxes!" Sasha called from the back.

I rolled my eyes. Translation, come here and take these boxes up front because I can't carry them myself.

I went in back and lifted the boxes without so much as a second thought. They were light to me. And probably always would be, for that matter. I brought them up front and turned to Sasha.

"I will _never_ get used to that," She said.

I smiled; it was fun to shock her. She had the cutest shocked expression every time.

"Anything else?"

She shook her head, "Nope, Charlie's out. And we're ahead of schedule. Today all we do is serve costumers."

"Meaning we sit around and see what upgrades we can do on our skateboards with left over merchandise lying around the shop."

"Basically."

We laughed a bit and then went in back to grab our boards. Mine was a normal skateboard. It had a yellow background on the bottom with a biohazard sign in the middle. Sasha had a black background with a red dragon on it.

I sat down and began fiddling with my board. I was scratching out the figure of a tiger on my board's foot grip.

(-)

We got halfway through the day with only 3 customers. It was a slow day, but that was okay, we needed the break. Don't know why, but I'm gonna say we did.

I was in the back doing some inventory, because I was done tinkering with my skateboard and I was bored.

I heard the door open and then footsteps. From the sound of it there was 3 people.

(-)

Sasha had been looking around behind the counter for Charlie's cigarettes. Charlie was a smoker, and Sasha hated when he smoked around the shop. So she was looking forward to burning them in the pit out back.

She heard the door open and looked up. And was happy to see her 3 best friends standing in front of the door. Jon and Mike stood there in front of her waving. Sam was off to the side looking around.

"Hey, guys! It's been a while since you stopped by," she smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Yeah, we figured we'd check up on you." Jon said.

"And I've been dying to meet this guy you've been telling us about! Who is he?" Sam asked.

Sasha laughed, "His name is Ryuu. I think you guys have seen him around the skate park every once in a while."

Mike spoke up first, "Depends, there are a lot of guys who skate around the park. They all suck, but that's besides the point."

"He's got black hair with blue streaks and he's got blue eyes. Whenever he wears a sleeveless shirt you can see his barbed wire tattoo, too."

Sam jumped up and down, "Oh! Oh! Him? That hunk is your roommate?"

Jon put his hand on Sam's shoulder effectively stopping her from jumping up and down.

Sasha nodded, "Yeah, he's in the back, you guys wanna meet him?"

At their collective nods Sasha headed into the back to get Ryuu.

(-)

I looked over at the doorway to see Sasha coming in the back.

"They need anything?" I asked.

Sasha nodded, "You bet. They need to meet you."

"Huh?" Was all I got out before Sasha dragged me out to the front.

As Sasha stopped pulling my arm, I straightened my shirt, which was a black t-shirt that said, "Sarcasm, just one more service I offer".

"And this is Ryuu. My roommate and fellow skateboarder," Sasha said smiling.

I wasn't sure what to do so I waved and gave an awkward smile.

Suddenly I found myself being given a critical stare from Jon and Mike, and Sam was drooling for some reason...damn, now I'm gonna have to mop the floor later.

Jon and Mike, done with their evaluations of me, just nodded. While Sasha waved a hand in front of Sam's face.

"Sam? Sam? Helloo...? Anybody in there?"

I looked at Sam and saw a dazed look in her eyes, "The lights are on, but nobody's home, Sasha."

Mike laughed, "You're a wise ass. I like that. You and me are gonna get along _just_ fine."

"Uh...Thanks, I guess," I scratched the back of my head.

We spent the rest of the day talking and getting to know each other. Mike and Jon were really cool. They wanted me to hang out with them more often and to skateboard with them at the park. And Sam, well...let's just say I think she's a bit schitzo. But I can't, or rather, shouldn't talk. I hear voices and can change moods pretty quickly too...maybe I'm bipolar...?

Anyway, it was late and it was near closing time for the store before we decided to split up.

Sasha put her coat on and turned to me, "Hey, Ryuu, we're all going to the karaoke bar, you wanna come?"

I shrugged my coat on as well and smiled, "I'd love to, but I still have some stuff to do. I'll catch you later though," And I waved as I walked out the door.

I jumped on my board and skated home. I opened the door and locked it behind me before heading to my room and grabbing a pencil and my notebook.

My room was pretty basic. It had a twin bed in the corner and a night table next to it. I had a closet and a dresser. And around the room were certain items, skateboard accessories and CDs scattered around. I had a few posters of bands like Metallica and Alice In Chains. And a stereo in the corner with a separate subwoofer and 3 CD player. Anyway, back to why I grabbed my notebook.

I had been composing lyrics for a while now, it helped vent and it helped calm me at the same time. I looked at the lyrics I already had put together and tried to put music to it.

_You my friend  
You're a lot like them  
But I cut your line  
And you know I did  
Now I'm lost in you  
Like I always do  
And I'd die to win  
'Cause I'm born to lose_

_Firefly  
Could you shine your light  
Now I know your ways  
'Cause they're just like mine  
Now I'm justified  
As I fall in line  
And it's hard to try  
When you're wide open_

_Take my hand  
We'll be off again  
We'll come back again  
To a different land  
Now I like this way  
You can go away  
If you guess the name  
You cannot replace_

_Firefly  
Could you shine your light  
Now I know your ways  
'Cause they're just like mine  
Now I'm justified  
As I fall in line  
And it's hard to try  
When you're wide open_

_Bring me your enemies  
Lay them before me  
And walk away_

_Firefly  
Could you shine your light  
Now I know your ways  
'Cause they're just like mine  
Now I'm justified  
As I fall in line  
And it's hard to try  
When you're wide open_

_Fuck you firefly  
Have you lost your light  
Now I hate your ways  
'Cause they're just like mine  
So you lost my friend  
Such a sorry end  
Now I don't know why  
So I choke and smile_

I laughed a bit, an excellent set of lyrics to describe my relationship with Akane. Ironic how I used to be so forgiving back in Nerima. But Akane betrays me and I can suddenly hold a grudge for decades...like Pops for example...

My thoughts were interrupted as my door opened and three people fell onto the floor of my bedroom. Sasha, Sam, and Mike fell onto the floor while Jon stood there with the door open, his hand still on the doorknob.

"So sorry to intrude, Ryuu," Jon said, "But when the girls get curious there's no stopping them."

I pointed to Mike, "But Mike was eavesdropping too."

Jon nodded, "That's what I said didn't I? The girls are naturally curious."

Mike got up and started yelling at Jon, while I looked at Sasha, now standing, who looked embarrassed.

"Sorry 'bout that. We just wanted to know where that song came from..." Sasha said.

I tilted my head to the side, "Song? You mean my lyrics?"

"You wrote that?" Sam asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, came up with the music too."

Sasha looked a bit confused, "Wait, you write _and_ you play your music? How did you keep this from me?"

I had the decency to be embarrassed at this point, "I usually play late at night, when everyone is dead asleep. I play it all in the basement, and I like to write and play while the moon's out too, so it helps that there's a window above ground down there..."

Mike at this point had already grabbed my notebook and started scanning through the lyrics.

"Jon, come here. Look at these lyrics."

Jon walked over and looked at the notebook over Mike's shoulder.

"That's it. This is exactly what we're looking for..." Jon mumbled.

"What...you're looking for? I don't get it? What are you looking for?" I asked, totally confused.

Sam answered my question, "We're looking for someone who can sing and help us write lyrics. You see, we're a band, Mike, Jon, and me. We don't have a name for our band yet, but we're working on it."

I was interested now, "So, can you guys play my music?"

Sam just nodded, "Yeah, Mike plays drums, Jon plays guitar, and I play bass guitar. All we're missing is a lead singer."

"So...you guys want _me_ to join your band?"

Sam, Mike, and Jon all nodded.

"As your lead singer?"

They all nodded again.

I smiled, "When can I start?"

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames are used to fight off the lawyers.


	6. Chapter Title Should Go Here

Chapter Title Should Go...Here

Me, Mike, Jon, and Sam spent the next week practicing together, getting to know each other better, and trying to figure out a name for the band.

(-)

We were sitting around Sam's garage talking about our pasts, when Sam turned to me.

"So what got you started on writing lyrics?"

I thought about my answer carefully. I couldn't just come out say, "Oh yeah, the voice in my head, his name's Tony, he said it would help me with my problems if I wrote them down somehow."

Yeah, that's a one-way ticket to the insane asylum. I figured I'd tell the partial truth.

"I don't know really. Just figured it would be a great way to relieve my stress and shit like that," I shrugged.

"Oh, so how'd you end up in Jersey again?" Mike asked.

"(Sigh) Do I _really_ gotta go through this again?" I asked. I seriously didn't want to talk about what happened more than once.

"Yes, please? Just do a quick summary."

I sighed again, "Fine. I came home after school from extra help and found my fiancée in bed with another man. Happy now?"

Sam slapped Mike upside the head, "Now look what you've done! You've made him sad!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mike cowered with his hands over his head. I couldn't help but laugh at them.

I had told them the more normal parts of my life. Leaving out the insanely strong martial arts, my practicing the martial arts, and the fact that I swam to half my destinations. I also left out the Neko-ken. Didn't need to scare away newfound friends if I didn't need to.

Still laughing a bit I said, "Alright, now that I'm back in the mood, let's play a bit," I handed them some music I put together, "This is one of my first pieces. I call it 'Forget it'."

They took the papers and started playing the music.

(The song Forget It, belongs to Breaking Benjamin, not me.)

_It's a crime you let it happen to me  
Nevermind, I'll let it happen to you  
Out of mind, forget it there's nothing to lose  
But my mind and all the things I wanted_

_Everytime I get it I throw it away  
It's a sign, I get it, I want it to stay  
By the time I lose it I'm not afraid  
I'm alive but I can surely fake it_

_How can I believe when this cloud hangs over me  
You're the part of me that I don't want to see_

_Forget it_

_There's a place I see you follow me  
Just a taste of all that might come to be  
I'm alone but holding breath you can breathe  
To question every answer found_

_Just fade away  
Please let me stay  
Caught in your way_

_Forget it_

_Just fade away  
Please let me stay  
Caught in your way_

_It's a crime you let it happen to me  
Out of mind, I love it, easy to please  
Nevermind, forget it, just memories  
On a page inside a spiral notebook_

_Just fade away  
Please let me stay  
Caught in your way  
I can live forever here_

_Forget it_

_How can I believe when this could hangs over me  
You're a part of me that I don't want to see_

_I can live forever here_

As the music fades away, I opened my eyes and looked at the door. It's open and I can see Sasha standing there, clapping. Blushing I rubbed the back of my neck, and smiled.

"So you like it?" I asked.

The whole band gave a collective round of "yeah" and "You bet".

I smiled, "Well, I gotta get going. I have some errands to run," I turned to Sasha, "You want me to cook today?" When she nodded I nodded back, "I'll be home by 5:30 to start cooking. If you can grab some steak on your way home if we don't have any at home."

I'd been craving meat for the longest while now. I had become more of a meat eater the past year and a half because of the Neko-ken. And I can't exactly complain either.

As I walked out the door I heard Sasha yell something to me as the door slowly closed, "You guys have a concert coming up tomorrow! More details tonight, Ryuu!"

I nodded and headed out. I walked back to the house and changed into a pair of black slacks and a black tank top.

I went out back and looked around. The backyard was a decent size, but it wasn't big enough to work out in. For me at least.

I hopped onto the roof and scanned the area. After a minute or two I managed to catch a glimpse of a clear, grassy area.

I was in a mischievous mood and decided to try and bug out Tony. So I roof hopped there.

When I jumped off the last roof, I cleared the 5 yards and landed a good 4 feet into the clearing, and I barely disturbed the grass when I landed too. I smirked as Tony yelled at me, and I blocked him out.

I walked to the center of the field and started a kata. It was a warm up kata, slow and graceful.

When that kata ended I flowed right into the next kata. I continued this for an hour or so. Moving from defense katas to offensive katas, to air combat, to hand to hand combat, then back to air combat katas.

When I was done I had a thin layer of sweat covering my body. And by the position of the sun, I had another 2 and a half hours before I needed to head back to the house.

I meditated for a half hour before scanning the area. Finding no one in the general vicinity, I went tiger and messed around a bit.

I hunted a few field mice for fun, never killing them mind you, because stalking the prey had become a new and fun hobby for me.

I still had an hour or so before I needed to head out, so I went to lie down and told Tony to wake me up in an hour.

(-)

Shampoo had trailed Ranma all the way to Argentina. She had lost him in midst of the deep forests between Argentina and Brazil.

After getting lost for almost three months she had finally gotten out of the forest and found a port to the North of the continent.

In the midst of her travels she had learned Japanese and English and could _finally_ make full _comprehensible_ sentences.

The reason it had taken her so long to get out of the forest was because it was a _rain_ forest. Therefore it, inevitably, rained every few hours. And she had yet to rid herself of her curse. Otherwise it would have been a matter of days to get out, but unfortunately, cats aren't the best animals to be when lost in a forest.

Her entire search had been cursed, sad, and...rainy. But today was different. This past week the rain had stopped and it had only been cloudy. And today was the sunniest day she'd seen since she began her hun-err...search.

She was currently on a boat to a New Jersey port and would reach the port within the hour.

(-)

Ryuu was sound asleep, still in the middle of the field, and still in his tiger form.

He still had 40 minutes before Tony had to wake him up. And Ryuu was sleeping a dreamless sleep.

Which is boring. So we'll check up on Shampoo once more.

(-)

Shampoo stood at the edge of the city the ship had docked in. She was spreading her senses to see if she could find a sign of Ranma's aura.

(She doesn't know about Ranma's change in name. Cologne had failed to mention this in her letter when she told Shampoo the annulment of the marriage.)

She couldn't find a trace of his aura...until she looked towards Vineland. The town seemed to scream, "Ranma is here!" The fact that an entire quarter of the town was cloaked in his aura helped as well.

And that's where Shampoo headed. Toward Vineland, where she was positive she'd find him.

(-)

_Ryuu!_ Tony yelled in my head.

I growled and turned over, exposing my fur-covered stomach to the sun.

_What do you want, Tony? Is it time to wake up yet?_ I asked. The sun was so comfortable and warm...I had the sudden urge to fall asleep and stay that way until the sun went below the horizon.

_Well...no, you have 20 minutes left_, I was about to yell when he interrupted my interruption, Listen_! If you spread your senses you'd know that someone with a strong ki was heading our way._

I did what Tony said and spread my senses. I jumped onto my feet, all four of them, when I sensed Shampoo heading our way.

I growled, one part of me wanted to suppress my ki and run while I still could. While another part of me anticipated the fight that was sure to come with Shampoo's arrival. Then the part of me, the one that sat and formulated a plan, wanted to stay still, turn human, wait, and find out what the possessive bitch wanted.

That small formulating plots part of me was the one I took after the most. You could call him my conscious, but, in my opinion, he took up both roles of "devil and angel" and mixed them quite nicely. I mean, what kind of angel tells you to kill anything that moves in a rainforest where possible villages could be near by? ...Right, didn't think so.

I had lost all qualms about hitting girls in a fight. And I was looking forward to showing Akane how a real fight felt. Bruises, blood, broken bones, the whole nine yards. Hey, I never said I'd forgive her at all. Don't know what you've been smoking if you thought I did.

I transformed back to my original form and stretched the kinks out of my body.

I got into a meditation stance and spiked my ki once before hiding it completely. I wanted to see how quickly she'd arrive and how well her memory worked.

Afterwards I moved to go sit on a boulder off to the side. I was waiting and watching the clouds.

I sat up as I realized I'd not only be late to make dinner, I could come up with an excuse for that, but if I had to fight Shampoo...how would I explain the unconscious body? And the cuts and bruises?

"Shit, it's going to be a _long_ day," I sighed and lowered my head.

Shampoo jumped down from a nearby rooftop, just as I had done a while ago.

My bangs hid my eyes as I mumbled to myself, "And here comes the cause this long day," a glint crossed my eyes as I thought about something, "Maybe I'll have some fun after all..." I smirked.

(-)

Shampoo slowly made her way towards the young man standing in the middle of the field. She didn't know who he was. He had Ranma's aura...but he didn't look like Ranma.

He had short black hair that came up in natural spikes, with blue tiger-like streaks in them. He was wearing a black tank top and a pair of black slacks and he had a tattoo on his left arm.

To Shampoo, he looked nothing like the Ranma she knew. But, he was hiding his eyes from her, and his aura was _so_ like Ranma's.

He had mumbled something while she was trying to read him and she had missed what he said. Obviously he figured this out when she failed to reply.

"Can I help you?" He asked, raising his head and smiling politely. He had his eyes squinted closed so she still couldn't see his eyes.

"Yes, do you know a man named Ranma Saotome?" Shampoo asked.

The young man looked up at the sky in thought, _How am I going to do this? Hmm...I think Sasha said something about our first concert tomorrow..._

He looked up at Shampoo and smiled again, this time she could see his eyes, "Why yes, I believe I have."

Shampoo smiled, _Finally, I've found him..._

"Do you know where he is?"

He shook his head, "Not at the moment. But if you meet me here tomorrow morning I'm sure I could have the information you need."

Shampoo nodded, "Thank you, sir."

The young man turned to leave but was stopped by Shampoo's question, "Can I ask your name, please?"

He didn't turn around fully, he just turned his head so she had a side view of his face, "My name is...Ryuu."

With that the young man left.

_At least I found Ranma_, Shampoo sighed, _I knew you couldn't hide forever Ranma, no one can._

And Shampoo followed Ryuu's steps also leaving the field. She found a hotel nearby several minutes later.

(-)

"Made it..." I mumbled as I walked in the door, I made it 3 minutes before I said I'd be home.

I smiled as I took a quick shower and changed into some fresh clothes. I was lazy so all I managed was another pair of black slacks.

I was in the kitchen putting together the needed ingredients when Sasha walked in the door.

"Hey, Sasha. You got the steak?" I walked into the hallway.

She nodded and handed me the paper brown bag, "Fresh from the market," She said smiling.

"Good, dinner should be ready in an hour," I walked back to the kitchen, and I smirked when I caught a blush on her face in my peripheral vision.

She walked into the kitchen and sat at the island while I cooked.

"So, what's this about our first show tomorrow?" I asked while cutting up the meat.

"I set it up with Sam's uncle. The guy's cool, and a bit weird. But that's beside the point. He agreed to let you guys play at his bar."

I nodded, not entirely facing her, "So, you got any tickets? I met someone I knew a while back, and I figured I'd invite her."

"We don't have tickets," She said, I heard her get up and shuffle through her coat, "But we got advertisements."

I put everything together in a pan and started to actually cook the meat, "Can you throw one of those advertisements on my dresser when you get the chance?"

"Sure, why not," I heard her get up again and walk down the hall.

She returned a minute later a started to set table, "When'll the food be ready?"

"In a half hour relax."

"Well, I'm hungry."

"What do you want me to do? Serve the meat rare?"

"Would it kill you?"

"It's not me I'm worried about."

"So what? You're saying if you ate the meat rare it wouldn't affect you either way, but if _I_ ate it, I'd probably get sick?"

"Perceptive aren't you?"

"Wise ass."

"Why, thank you."

"Do you enjoy torturing me?"

"If I said yes would you be mad?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Yes."

"Augh! You are the most infuriating man I have ever met!"

"Thank you. I take pride in my work."

"I don't like you right now."

"Never said you had to like me."

"You know I can throw you out of this house anytime I want?"

"Yes."

"So why do you torture me?"

"Because if you threw me out of the house you would need to find another housemate."

"Good point."

"Plus, I doubt you'd find another housemate as good looking as me."

"(Sigh) Just when you think he wouldn't say anything..."

"Do you disagree with my comment?"

"No."

"Then what in seven hells is your problem?"

"The fact that you're usually always right."

"You act like I should care."

"You should."

"I don't."

"Fuck you."

"Maybe later."

"...There are seven hells?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"One level for each type of torture."

"Which are...?"

"Fire, Greatest fears, Food-"

"Food?"

"For the vegetarians."

"Oh."

"Yeah...Phobias, Water, Castration& porn, and Bondage."

"Castration and porn?"

"If you don't got a thing to jerk off with porn is annoying...So says an old pervert I once knew."

"And bondage?"

"Not everyone likes being tied to the bed during sex, I'm sure."

"Oh..."

"Too much info?"

"Yes."

"Sucks for you."

"Are you done torturing me yet?"

"Yes, the food's ready."

"About time."

"Shut up and eat."

With that, we sat down and ate our dinner. Talking as if our little chat before had never happened...well, I did. She was still a bit peeved. It's amazing how uncaring I've become of others opinions. (Smile)

(-)

That night I sat on my bed and wrote the lyrics I would dedicate to a certain someone. I wrote the music that would accompany my lyrics. And I wrote the poem that would set the course for our band's name.

The future isn't written in stone, but then again, even if it was, I doubt I'd do what I was supposed to. I always was one to bend the rules to their breaking point.

(-)

I woke up early that morning. Throwing on a pair of black sweats and a white t-shirt I walked out the door.

Arriving at my destination, the field I had trained in earlier, I took out the flier Sasha had given me the previous night.

I folded it and tucked it back into my pocket, waiting for Shampoo to arrive. I didn't have to wait long, because she arrived 10 minutes later.

She smiled at me, "Good morning, Ryuu."

I smiled back, "Good morning, Shampoo. I gathered whatever information I could for you."

She bowed, "Thank you, Ryuu. I appreciate your help greatly."

I shook my head, _This is too easy. It's almost sad...almost_, "No worries, Shampoo. Now here is the flier that I was given to give to you."

She took the paper and stared at it strangely, "A concert?"

I nodded, "Yes, It's seems your friend is the lead singer for the new group performing today."

She nodded slowly, still slightly confused.

I turned to leave; "I do hope to see you there, Shampoo. Bye!" I waved to her over my shoulder as I left.

(-)

Shampoo looked at the flier again as Ryuu left.

"I do hope to see you there, Shampoo. Bye!" She heard him say.

Something clicked just then. She had never told Ryuu her name. Yet somehow, he knew her name.

There was something more to this Ryuu character than he let on. And after she went to this concert she would confront him about it.

(-)

I walked in the door and ran into my room. Throwing my shirt onto the floor I grabbed a clean pair of boxers and ignored Sasha's protests as I cut in front of her and ran into the bathroom.

I took a nice hot shower too. The anticipation of today's show starting to get to me. Just to spite Sasha I took a while in the shower...and walked out with only a towel around my waist. I couldn't help but smirk as she had a bright blush on her face.

Walking back into my room I decided what to wear. I threw on a pair of black cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and a dark red button-up shirt, unbuttoned.

(-)

Me, Sam, Mike, and Jon all sat in the back. We were discussing how to introduce our group name and ourselves. It was 5 minutes till we had to get up on stage before we had everything figured out.

I looked around as quickly set up the last of our equipment and looked for Shampoo. I saw Sasha at the bar and I waved to her.

She gave me a thumb up and I returned it. I spotted Shampoo enter just as I sat down on a stool I had grabbed from the bar. It was time to start.

(-)

"Hey guys!" Mike spoke into his microphone, "How are all of you today?"

The crowd cheered before quieting down.

"We have a good show today, only 3 songs, but they're good songs...in our opinion, and we hope you enjoy them as well," Jon said.

"But first we have to introduce ourselves. My name's Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam!" Obviously, Sam said.

"My name's Mike and I'll be your drummer for today!"

"My name's Jon, and I play the guitar for our band."

"My name's Ryuu, and I'll be your lead singer for today as well."

After a minute Ryuu spoke again, "Our hope gone, our faith ripped apart...in the shadows of the dead, we are uninspired. We are...Misunderstanding Scars."

At this point the music began playing and Ryuu began singing his parts. ("Don't Be Afraid" by Steromud)

_You don't like them stepping on you  
You don't like they make fun of your name  
You don't like they tell you what to do  
When you try to fit in  
And they're all laughing  
You're left there standing  
Don't know what to do_

_When you feel hurt and afraid  
Don't show it bothers you  
Don't give yourself away  
Eyes keep closing  
And your mind's exploding  
And your anger's growing_

_Can you stand up for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Watch out for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Close up your fist  
You are not afraid_

_Don't know how it began  
Don't know who said it  
Don't know who you can trust  
Are they lying?  
It's hard when you pretend  
That they're not pointing  
Their fingers feel like someone's pushing you_

_When you feel better afraid_

_When you feel hurt and afraid  
Don't show it bothers you  
Don't give yourself away  
Eyes keep closing  
And your mind's exploding  
And your anger's growing_

_Can you stand up for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Watch out for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Close up your fist  
You are not afraid_

_Can you stand up for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Watch out for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Close up your fist  
You are not afraid_

_Don't be afraid  
Don't be afraid  
Don't run, run, run  
Feel your eyes keep closing_

_When you feel hurt and afraid  
Don't show it bothers you  
Don't give yourself away  
Eyes keep closing  
And your mind's exploding  
And your anger's growing_

_Can you stand up for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Watch out for yourself  
Don't be afraid  
Close up your fist  
You are not afraid_

_Don't be afraid_

The music came to an end and Ryuu took a drink from the glass of water beside him while Sam spoke to the crowd.

"That song we call Don't Be Afraid. The next we're going to play is called I'm A Fake."

"One my favorites, personally," Ryuu said.

"I wonder why..." Mike rolled his eyes.

Ryuu turned to Mike, "Shut up and let's start." ("I'm a Fake" by The Used)

_(Spoken)  
Small, simple, safe price  
Rise the wake and carry me with all of my regrets  
This is not a small cut that scabs, and dries, and flakes, and heals  
And I am not afraid to die  
I'm not afraid to bleed, and fuck, and fight  
I want the pain of payment  
What's left, but a section of pigmy sized cuts  
Much like a slew of a thousand unwanted fucks  
Would you be my little cut?  
Would be my thousand fucks?  
And make mark leaving space for the guilt to be a liquid  
To fill, and spill over, and under my thoughts  
My sad, sorry, selfish cry out to the cutter  
I'm cutting trying to picture your black broken heart  
Love is not like anything  
Especially a fucking knife_

Ryuu drank some of his water as Mike and Sam began playing the music. Jon joined a minute later.

_Look at me, you can tell  
By the way I move and do my hair  
Do you think that it's me or it's not me?  
I don't even care  
I'm alive  
I don't smell  
I'm the cleanest I have ever been  
I feel big, I feel tall, I feel dry (dry)_

_Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake_

_Do I drink? Do I date?  
I've got perfect placement all my ink  
Satisfied, in your eyes  
I'm the biggest fan I've got right now  
I made sure, that I look how I wanted to look  
The people around me, the people surround me  
I feel big, I feel tall, I feel dry (dry)_

_Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake_

_My stomach hurts now, and all tied off in lace  
I pray, I beg for anything, to hit me in the face  
and this sickness isn't me, I pray to fall from grace  
The last thing I see is feeling  
And I'm telling you I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
And I'm telling you I'm..._

_Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
Just look at me, look at me now  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake  
I'm a fake_

Ryuu sat and waited for the music and cheering to fade. When it was quiet and everyone seemed to be waiting for him to speak he looked up and caught Shampoo's eyes with his.

"This next song was written just previously and is one of our newest songs yet. I've dedicated it to someone I personally invited today...I call this song, Stop Looking."

The music started and the lights on the stage faded until there was only enough light to show the band's silhouettes. ("Stop Looking" by Papa Roach)

_Hit or miss, fuck a fight  
It's time to live your life  
Go ahead, I know I'm right  
I'm gonna lay it on the line  
Put yourself in my shoes  
Would you stand up for your rights  
Line em up and knock em down  
I'm not running scared tonight_

_I have found these walls before  
And I'm not scared anymore  
Theres a time to lead and to follow  
Because I won't take this anymore (these walls)  
I found these walls before (these walls)  
There's a time to lead and to follow (these walls)_

_I see the walls closing in  
And I feel like I'm in danger  
My enemy is not alone  
In the mirror, theres a stranger  
As I tried to break out  
My panic led to fear  
Hopeless, I am alone  
I'm afraid the end is near_

_The truth doesn't always have to hurt_

_I have found these walls before  
And I'm not scared anymore  
Theres a time to lead and to follow  
Because I won't take this anymore (these walls)  
I found these walls before (these walls)  
There's a time to lead and to follow (these walls)_

_Stop looking  
Stop seeing NOW  
Right now  
Right now_

_The truth doesn't always have to hurt_

_I have found these walla before  
And I'm not scared anymore  
Theres a time to lead and to follow  
Because I won't take this anymore (these walls)  
I found these walls before (these walls)  
There's a time to lead and to follow (these walls)_

Ryuu flared his aura as he sung the last few sets of lyrics. He flared his bright blue aura that was faintly tainted with a sickly green. The green of depression. And he hoped that Shampoo would recognize it.

Looking through the crowd again. He observed them all. The way they listened to the music, the emotions that crossed their faces as he sung the lyrics. He observed it all.

He caught Shampoo's eyes with his again and watched the emotions cross her face.

At first confusion and then slow realization and she understood what he meant by the lyrics.

He nodded to Shampoo and stood up to face the crowd.

"Well, that's all we have for today, but if we can make another show schedule with our host and bartender, we will be back!" Jon said.

"And we'll have plenty of new songs for you guys too!" Mike shouted.

"So leave your opinions on a little piece of paper in the 'opinion' jar at the bar," Ryuu said as if addressing a college class. All sophisticated like.

"And for you preppy bitches out there!" Sam yelled, "I would _die_ to have a body like yours...in my trunk!"

And the entire band laughed as they walked off stage and headed into the back of the buildings lot to skateboard.

(-)

Sasha got up and walked over to the purple haired young woman by the door.

"Are you Shampoo?" Sasha asked.

Shampoo turned to her and nodded.

"I was asked, by Ryuu, to bring you in back so he could speak with you."

Shampoo nodded again. And she followed Sasha into the back.

Once they were outside she could see that all 4 of them, Jon, Mike, Sam, Ryuu, they were all doing tricks on railings and half pipes and mini ramps.

Ryuu was in the middle of a "McTwist" when he spotted Shampoo and Sasha. Finishing his trick he rolled up the other side of the half pipe, and then jumped over the edge, catching his skateboard in his hand and landing on his feet.

He walked over to Shampoo and waited.

Shampoo stared at Ryuu for a moment, "We need to talk."

Nodding Ryuu led Shampoo off to the side, away from Sasha and the band.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames shall be used to burn the asses of lawyers.


	7. Torture Be Fun

Torture Be Fun

I led Shampoo to a secluded area, about several yards away from our little skate park.

Turning to her I asked, "So, do you know who I am?"

She nodded, "So you really are Ranma...but why the change in name?"

I looked over to the side, refusing to meet her eyes, "For the same reason I left. It's all very complicated...But in short. I wanted to start my life over. And I chose Jersey as my new home."

Shampoo nodded again, "So now your name is Ryuu."

I nodded, "Yeah, but I'm thinking of changing my last name...Ranma doesn't seem like a decent last name to me."

"And what would you change it to, Wild Horse?"

"Mouko. I believe I have the right to the name Fierce Tiger. I earned it since I did, after all, master the Neko-ken," I said smirking. Though in my head I could hear Tony yelling that I was giving away too much information.

Shampoo's eyes widened, "You've conquered your fear of cats?"

I shook my head, "Not just cats. All felines, big and small."

Shampoo nodded, "Well, that's good to hear. And your curse?"

I raised an eyebrow and smirked, "What curse?"

"You don't change into a girl anymore?"

"Nope, but since I'm also a shit magnet, I managed to trip and fall into the spring of Drowned Tiger. Though I'm not complaining anymore."

"So, have you improved in your skill?"

I blinked, "What do you think?"

Shampoo smiled and nodded, "That's good to hear. Would you like to spar sometime? Perhaps now?"

I noticed the eagerness in her voice, "As much as I would like to, I can't."

She raised an eyebrow at me, "You can't? Or you won't?

"I won't. My band mates. My new family. They don't know about me being a Martial Artist, or anything about the Neko-ken."

"And why not? If they're your family-"

"I wasn't going to risk scaring them off. This isn't Nerima, Shampoo. They aren't used to people walking around their cities being able to destroy 5 story buildings with a single punch."

"Or finger," Shampoo added.

I smiled, "Or finger. So I can't. Not right now anyway. Perhaps another time?" I offered.

"Perhaps," Shampoo said, "What of your family and fiancées?"

My eyebrow did a spock maneuver, "You didn't hear? My Mother was the one who helped me out with all this. She divorced Pops, disowned me by my own request so Nabiki couldn't track me down, and I took care of all fiancée matters...Speaking of which. Isn't that why you're here?"

Shampoo nodded, "Yes, I wanted to know why you had left. And why you had gotten our marriage annulled."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, "You _know_ why I had the Kiss of Marriage annulled. I don't love you the way you want me too. And besides even if that wasn't the problem, I would've dishonored you by being disowned."

"But you admit you love me?"

I nodded my head, albeit reluctantly, "As a sister. An annoying sister, but a sister none the less."

Shampoo nodded, "I understand. I guess I began to feel that you were a brother of sorts after you left and I had the chance to think about everything...But that still raises one question. Why? Why did you leave?"

I looked up at the blue sky, watched the clouds pass by for a few moments, then took a deep breath before looking at Shampoo, "I'm only going to tell you this once, it's still a sensitive subject for me, but I can finally get through the damned story without getting choked up."

Shampoo nodded in understanding.

"To make this short, I came home from school one day and found Akane in bed with Ryoga. If you want details you'll have to go back to Japan and ask the damned bitch yourself."

Shampoo looked like she was ready to kill. And something told me she was. I took a single step back, giving her some space as her battle aura began to show.

"That bitch...after 2 fucking years of loyalty from you she turns around and sleeps with that dirty pig...Even after all those advances me and Ukyo had made on you, you were still faithful to her..." Shampoo growled.

"Calm down, Shampoo, I know I was loyal. I mean, I haven't forgiven her or anything, but I'm over it...Hell, I'm actually looking forward to seeing her again, just so I can give her the spar she's always wanted," My hands were up in a defensive manner.

Her battle aura disappeared slowly at my words, "You're over it?"

I nodded, "I had a good year and a half to get over it."

"But what about revenge...?" She asked somewhat dejectedly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "What about revenge?"

"You don't want to get revenge on her?"

My eyebrow stayed raised, "Of course I want revenge. But I'm going to wait it out. I want to see if she'll come to me instead of me coming to her. She wants to see me, she comes to my turf."

Shampoo mulled over my words, "How much have you been thinking like a tiger that's hunting?"

I smirked, "Since I mastered the Neko-ken more than a year ago and figured out how to change between my cursed form and my original form freely without water."

Shampoo's eyes widened, "There's a cure?"

I nodded, "There has always been a cure. I don't know why none of us really thought of it before. But all we had to do was jump into the spring of Drowned Boy or Girl," I shrugged, "Always made me wonder how dense I was when I was 16. I figured I was _really_ dense. But I don't like to judge unless I'm hunting for meals," At my last statement I had a feral grin on my face.

"You've changed a lot, Ran...Ryuu," Shampoo said.

"You have too, Shampoo," I said as I looked her over. Her body had filled in, in all the right places. She had lost the bubbly ditz attitude and it had been replaced with the mature, curvaceous, well-endowed woman before me. Who could speak full sentences in both English and Japanese, as well.

Shampoo saw me looking at her and spun around for me, I laughed, "Yes, you've changed a lot, Shampoo. So how long do you plan on staying in Jersey?"

Shampoo was silent for a minute, "I don't know really. Haven't really thought about it."

I nodded, "Why don't you hang around and get the feel of things. You never know, you might not want to leave soon," I smiled and she nodded.

I thought of something, "Why don't I introduce you to my friends. And if you want I'll teach you to skateboard. It's become my new passion next to performing on stage and martial arts."

Shampoo nodded and we walked back over to everyone.

(-)

Jon was balancing a nose manual as Ryuu talked to a girl off to the side. It was obvious that whatever they were talking about, they wanted to keep private. He just stared at the girl.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his 21-year lifespan. She had long lavender hair that looked silky to the touch. She had lavender eyes that seemed to mesmerize him. Even though she was a good 18 feet away he could still stare into her eyes. He could easily read the emotions that crossed her eyes during her and Ryuu's conversation.

Confusion, shock, amusement, contentment, anger, more shock, more amusement, and finally happiness. All these emotions crossed her face in the time frame of 15 minutes.

Mike skated past Jon and slapped his shoulder. Succeeding in knocking Jon off his board and onto his ass.

"Geez, you'd think you'd have a bit more focus while holding a manual," Mike laughed as he skated by again. This time Jon was ready. As Mike skated by he jumped him. They both rolled to the floor and wrestled with each other. Sasha stood off to the side and shook her head in exasperation. Meanwhile Sam jumped up and down and cheered, shouting, "Jerry! Jerry!"

Ryuu and Shampoo had begun to make their way towards the mini skate park as Jon and Mike began their little brawl.

Ryuu stopped a yard away from them a pointed, "The one pinned on the bottom is Mike. The one who's cocking his fist back to hit Mike is Jon. The one shouting some dude named Jerry's name is Sam. And the one off to the side who thinks they're all childish is Sasha."

Half way through Ryuu's introduction of them he had gained their attention. Ryuu noticed this and smiled at his friends, "And this is Shampoo, an old friend of mine."

Jon finished cocking his fist back and brought it down. He opened his hand at the last minute and bitch slapped Mike. Then he stood up wiped his hands on his jeans before walking up to Shampoo.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shampoo," Jon said smiling.

"Jon's the most mature of us all. Mike's the dude who does stunts that would scare normal people with his skateboard," Ryuu said.

"Like what does he do?" Shampoo asked.

Mike managed to sit up, rubbing his sore cheek, "Hey, remember that one stunt I pulled over by your and Sasha's place?"

Ryuu smiled, "Yeah I remember that!" Ryuu turned to Shampoo to explain it, "One of my neighbors, Matt was his name, had pissed me off a month or so ago and I got revenge on him it was awesome," He grinned evilly in remembrance, "We, me and Mike that is, pushed Matt's car into the middle of the road and I threw a Molotov cocktail at it. The whole thing burst into flames...it was so...so...satisfyingly evil."

Mike had jumped up and grabbed his skateboard. Getting on it and skating around he told his side of the story, "Yeah man, the flames were huge! After we watched it for like 5 minutes we set up a pair of ramps on both sides of the car. We grabbed our skateboards and did tricks over the car until the cops came."

Mike did a 360 over Sam's head because she was standing between a half pipe and a ramp. He landed on the ramp and high-fived Ryuu, "Dude, I haven't looked at fire the same way ever since that time. Every time I see Matt near fire he edges away from it, it's fucking hysterical," Mike laughed as he did a wall ride and then skated away with Sam in tow. She chased him on her skateboard, cursing him out the entire time for jumping over her head without warning.

Sasha walked up to them, "Yes, I remember that time well. How long did they hold you in jail?"

Ryuu smiled, "Only two weeks. We got out on good behavior," he said smiling at Sasha.

"I swear, I think the only reason you got out of a longer sentence was because you did something with the judge. She had a hungry look in her eye as she watched you defend yourself," Sasha said.

Ryuu simply smirked, "Maybe we _did_ do something, maybe we didn't. But _you'll_ never know. Especially since we spoke in a separate _sound proof_ room," Ryuu leaned over to whisper to Shampoo, "We didn't do anything, but I did agree to take her out on a date," Ryuu smiled, "Bribery is fun."

Sasha barely held back the urge to throttle him right at that moment. So instead she raised her hand to smack him when Ryuu just smirked.

"What are you smirking about?" Sasha asked.

"A saying I had just thought of."

"Which is?"

"The only excuse for bad manners is fast reflexes," Ryuu simply smiled wider.

"I do _not_ like you right now," With that she let her hand fly towards Ryuu...only to hit air. He had ducked the slap, so instead she settled for the next best thing and kicked him to the ground.

Ryuu fell on his ass and caught Sasha's leg when she went for a second kick. He pulled and she lost her balance, he pushed her leg to the side, rotating her body to land in Ryuu's lap.

Jon was standing there smiling at the two, "What was that saying of yours, Ryuu? He who trains his tongue to...what was it?"

"He who trains his tongue to quote the sages shall be known far and wide as a smart ass."

"Yes that was it. And a smart ass you are, Ryuu."

Ryuu nodded, "You bet your ass I am."

Shampoo just stood next to Ryuu, listening and watching to them, _It seems he really is happy with his life here. Maybe I'll like it here too, never hurt anyone to try... _Shampoo thought, _And Jon is pretty cute too..._

Shampoo looked down at Ryuu, who was still sitting with Sasha on his lap, "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, Ryuu. But I have some calls to make and I have to talk with grandmother as well."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "She has a phone?"

Shampoo nodded, "Cell phone, not _all_ of the village is behind with today's technology, you know."

"Could've fooled me," Ryuu said, picking up Sasha as he stood up.

"Oh, shut up," Shampoo then gave Ryuu a brief hug, Sasha still in his arms, "I'm gonna hang around and see if I really like it here. Though I _may_ be making a brief visit to Japan..._that's_ for sure..."

Ryuu sighed, "Please don't do anything rash okay, Shampoo? As satisfying as revenge is, I want to exact it myself. Though if you want to break an arm or a leg, go ahead, far be it from me to spoil _all_ of your fun," Ryuu said smirking.

"Thanks, Ryuu. I'll see you around, Bye!" Shampoo yelled as she walked back into the bar.

Ryuu was watching Shampoo walk away, for some reason her ass was swaying left and right, almost as if it was mocking him. Or maybe it was for Jon, Ryuu didn't care, all he knew was he enjoyed the view.

Ryuu was forced to stop staring for two reasons, Sasha was poking him to get his attention, and Shampoo had closed the door behind her. Looking down he gave Sasha a questioning look.

"Can you put me down now?" Sasha asked.

Ryuu smirked, "You sure?"

Sasha hesitantly nodded as she saw his smirk. All too late did she realize why he had double-checked as her ass made contact with the pavement quite roughly.

"Ow! You jackass! Can't you have stood me up?" Sasha half yelled standing up.

Ryuu shrugged, "I could've...but being evil is just so much fun!" Ryuu snickered before grabbing his skateboard and running over to the half pipe.

Sasha stood fuming at Ryuu at as she rubbed her ass, "Ow...that smarts..." She grumbled.

Jon stood next to Sasha and watched Ryuu skate, "Sometimes I wonder how he got good so fast...don't you?"

Sasha shook her head, "Not really. He's a fast learner, you only need to show him something once or twice before he can do it himself."

"That's not what I mean. Look at him. The height he achieves is what all pros would envy," Jon said as Ryuu pulled a trick 15 feet above the top of the half pipe, totaling a good 25 feet in the air.

"The balance he has while performing _any_ kind of trick in the book," Ryuu did a Gymnast Plant lip trick and held it perfectly still for a good 2 minutes.

"Everything he does, even the way he walks...he's held out on us with what he's told us. There's definitely something he's not telling us..." Jon said contemplating the facts.

"It doesn't matter, Jon. If Ryuu wants to keep secrets he can. Not everyone is going to tell you every detail of their past just because you want them too. Give him time, eventually he'll tell us," Sasha turned to Jon, "Why do you care anyway? Ryuu's life is _his_ business, not ours."

Jon shrugged, "I don't know, to tell you the truth, Sasha. It's just a gut feeling. Sometime in the future, some unfinished business is gonna come and bite him in the ass. And something tells me, we're gonna end up caught in it..."

Sasha shook her head, "You worry too much, Jon."

"Maybe I do. But I can't help that. Ryuu's like a little brother to me now, I'm not gonna stand back and let something happen to him," Jon said, "But enough with that, let's get some skating done while Sam beats Mike shitless."

Sasha smiled, "Now you're talking. Let's go!"

Sasha ran over to the wall, grabbed her skateboard and jumped on the same half pipe as Ryuu. They began doing coordinated stunts, one doing lip tricks while the other does a flip trick or grab trick over the other. It's usually Ryuu doing tricks over Sasha.

(-)

I smiled and closed my eyes as I did a Christ Air over Sasha. My arms were open like I was ready to take off flying with my board in hand. Landing, I crouched down low to gather more speed. I turned and sped off the half pipe and onto a mini ramp that coincidently was aimed for the roof of the bar.

Flying over the ramp, I stood up and opened my arms again, this time my feet remained on the board. I landed smoothly on the roof and turned the board sharply, quickly slowing down and facing the edge of the roof.

I looked down to see Sasha and Jon staring at me. Sasha stood atop the half pipe and Jon stood beside the mini ramp I had just jumped off of. I smiled, grabbed my board, and jumped off the edge of the roof. I landed lightly on my feet and started walking towards them.

"Ryuu..." Sasha said, "Where'd you learn to do that?"

I blinked, not thinking right for some reason, "That?" I pointed to the roof and at their nod I continue, "I could always do that."

I suddenly realized my slip and mentally smacked my forehead.

_Damn it, Ryuu! Can't you keep your damned mouth shut at all today?_ Tony yelled.

_Shut up, Tony! It isn't _all_ my fault!_ I tried to argue.

_It isn't all your fault? It isn't all your fault! Well I wanna know who jumped onto the roof and jumped down like it was a piece of cake?_ Tony asked.

_Well me, but-_

_Okay, so you're trying to tell me, that by ignoring my warnings _not_ to jump up onto the roof and jump down, it isn't all your fault?_

_Well, no, but-_

_So it _is_ all your fault?_

I sighed in defeat, _Yes, yes it is my fault..._ As an after thought I added, _But don't expect admissions like this often, Tony. Otherwise we're gonna have to start sparring again soon._

When Tony was silent I came back to the matter at hand. It seemed Sasha had been asking me something when I was talking with Tony, "What?"

Sasha sighed, "I asked you, why you never told us you could do that."

I shrugged, "You never asked."

Jon nodded, "He does have a point."

"Well, I'm asking now, how can you do that?" Sasha asked.

I debated the pros and cons of telling them about my martial arts background. On one hand I wouldn't have to keep my abilities a secret anymore. But on the other hand, I might freak them out and they might not want me near them anymore. In the process I would lose my home and family for the second time...Eh, I've always been the dense type anyway...

"It comes from practically 14 years of studying Martial Arts," I said casually.

I managed to just barely smother my laughter as Sasha and Jon's eyes seem to bug out, "You guys act like you've never seen someone say they've practiced the art."

Jon managed to recover first, "Well, that's not it. It's just...you started training when you were 5...what kind of parents…?"

"I was forced to go on a training trip when I was 5 by my Pop. The only reason my Mother allowed me to go was a stupid contract saying when me and Pops returned I would be 'a man among men'," I scoffed, "Of course after I returned with Pops I was forced to avoid my mother for a full year."

"Why did you have to avoid your Mother? Didn't you want to see her again?" Sasha asked.

"Of course I wanted to see her again. But...you know what, let's get Sam and Mike over here so I don't have to repeat my story more than once," I offered.

Jon and Sasha agreed and we all went in search for Sam and Mike. I found them first, being able to sense ki has its advantages. I got Sasha and Jon and went in the direction I had sensed them. We found them a good 5 blocks away. Mike was just regaining consciousness and Sam was sitting on the curb with an ice cream in her hand.

She waved when she saw us, "Hi, guys!"

I shook my head, "Note to self, never piss off Sam."

Jon nodded, "You said it," Jon went over to Mike and looked at his bruises, "Damn, that looks like it hurt!"

Mike looked up at him, "It did. A lot."

I smiled, "Alright kiddies! Time for a story! _My_ story."

Sam gave me a questioning look as Sasha, Mike, and Jon joined her on the curb. I took a seat on my board.

Sasha answered Sam's unspoken question, "He's going to give us some details of his life he left out before. He didn't want to repeat them more than needed so we came and found you so you could hear the story."

Sam nodded, "Okay," Then she contented herself with eating her ice cream.

"Okay, I'm only going to say this shit once, and only once, so do _not_ ask me to go over it more than once because it's a pretty long story," I said.

At their nods I started my story, "I am a Martial Artist capable of doing many things most of you would think inhuman-"

"Like jumping 15 feet in the air?" Mike asked.

I shook my head, "Like jumping 30 feet into the air, being able to destroy 5 story buildings with a single finger, and being able to control my life force and turn it into a weapon in battles."

Their eyes widened at my words.

"No way, you're bluffing!" Sam said.

I shook my head again, "Listen to my story. And then after I'm done, I'll answer questions and prove what you want."

(If you want to skip the story, because I know it's long and boring scroll down until you see another author's note with lots of dots.)

At their nods I began again, "Okay, as I said before to Sasha and Jon, I've been a martial artist for most of my life. For 14 years to be exact. When I was 5 my Pops took me on a training trip. We traveled all over the place, learning new styles and techniques. Now before you ask why my Mother didn't stop my Pops, I'll answer that, my Mother had Pops sign a contract saying that when we returned from our journey, if I was not a 'man among men' me and Pops both would commit Seppuku, or better known as, ritual suicide.

"But back to my story. We traveled around and near the end of our trip we went to China. There we came across a cursed training ground called Jusenkyo. Ignoring the guides warning we jumped onto two of the hundreds of bamboo poles that stuck out of the springs scattered about Jusenkyo. I kicked Pops into one spring. The Spring of Drowned Panda. Whatever, or whoever, falls into the spring will turn into whatever drowned there. For Pops it was a panda. When he jumped out of the water as a panda I was too shocked to block his attack. Which effectively knocked me into the Spring of Drowned Girl. Of course there was a temporary cure, hot water. You see our curses were water based. Cold water would turn us into our cursed forms, and hot water would change us back.

"After we left Jusenkyo we were led through a Amazon Village, where a tournament was being held. We watched the tournament and ate. Now of course, Pops and me knew not one word of Chinese so we didn't see the sign in front of the feast we were eating that said, 'first prize'. The winner of the tournament was, coincidentally, Shampoo. She approached us and threatened us...I think...I didn't know a single word of Chinese so I wouldn't have known. She was yelling something about us eating her prize. I challenged her figuring if I beat her she wouldn't feel the need to kill us for eating her prize. Because to outsiders, 'nice' Amazons were not. She accepted my challenge, and I beat her. Afterwards she came up and gave me the Kiss of Death.

"We were forced to run away after that. The Kiss of Death was a solid promise to chase the victim to the ends of the earth. And kill her. I say 'her' because I was cursed at the time. Had I been in my true form I would've received the Kiss of Marriage. Which I actually did get when Pops and me returned to Japan after managing to lose Shampoo for a few months or so.

(Place rest of Ranma's life story here...)

"Two years later I had 3 official fiancées and a nut job chasing after me treating me like prize to win. After I caught Akane in bed with Ryoga I just got sick of it all and left. I made arrangements with my Mother. We changed my name, and she divorced Pops. I left to travel the world and find someplace to start my life anew and I promised to keep in touch and send letters whenever I can," I took a deep breath, "Now, any questions?"

I looked around and they all looked dazed at the information I had given them. After trying to digest everything Sam asked the first question that came to mind.

"So, did you get rid of your curse?"

I nodded, "Yeah, but because I seem to have 'shit magnet' written all over me I tripped and fell into another spring on my way out of Jusenkyo."

"What do you change into now?" Jon asked.

I smiled, "A tiger."

"Dude!" Mike said.

"But, I've seen you splashed with water a few times, hell I've dumped glasses of water over your head too, and you've never changed," Sasha said.

"Because I learned a way to control it," I stated simply.

"Prove it," Jon said, "Show us your cursed form."

I looked around and saw a couple people wandering about, "I can't show you here. Let's go back to the skate park behind the bar."

They all nodded and we skated back to the park. For some reason Sasha had left her board back at the bar, so I let her double up with me. She seemed so small compared to me. She leaned against me a bit more as we came closer to the bar.

We approached the bar and we skated in back. I hopped off my board, picking up Sasha in the process, and then gently placed her on her feet. I walked to a more secluded area of the park and they all followed me.

I stretched my senses to see if anyone who shouldn't be seeing my cursed form was close. Sensing no one I took my shirt and pants off, leaving me only in my favorite pair of black silk boxers. ((Whistles and cheers) Woohoo! That's my Ryuu! Go sexy! (Smile))

I closed my eyes and focused on transforming.

(-)

Sasha couldn't help but stare at Ryuu's chest. He had an eight pack, he wasn't too ripped, he was to the point where you knew they were there but he didn't show it off. Sasha suddenly realized what Jon had said was true; everything about Ryuu speaks of grace and hidden strength.

Sasha had to stop staring as Ryuu's body began to shift and form the shape of a tiger. His fur was sleek and black with blue stripes that matched his hair. His eyes were the same blue that he had as in his true form. He came up to about 3 foot 6 inches in height.

Ryuu started to walk forward, and like his human self, he moved with grace and hidden strength. He walked up to the group and sat down in front of them, tilting his head in an unspoken question.

"He's so _cute_!" Sam said, walking forward and petting Ryuu on his head.

Sasha walked forward and pet Ryuu on the head as well. He purred in response and leaned closer to Sasha.

Jon smiled, "Even while a tiger he seems to prefer Sasha," he whispered to himself. No one caught his words except Ryuu, with his excellent hearing. Ryuu looked towards Jon and nodded his head to confirm Jon's suspicions.

Mike stood stock still as he digested this new information. His friend could turn into a tiger at will. And he's an excellent martial artist. It was too much for Mike's comprehension. So he did what most shocked and confused people would do, he fainted.

Ryuu, being worried for his friend walked over to Mike and nudged his leg with nose. He tilted his head and looked to Sasha and Sam.

Sasha shrugged, "Must've been a bit much for him to handle."

Ryuu nodded in understanding. He then walked over to Sasha and sat down beside her, nudging her leg with his head.

"You want me to pet you?" Sasha asked, beginning to pet Ryuu again. Ryuu just purred in response.

"What should we call him?" Jon asked.

Sam raised her eyebrow at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we obviously can't call him Ryuu. It'd be too weird," Jon pointed out.

Ryuu was one step ahead of him though, already writing something with one of his claws on a dirt patch near by.

"Mouko?" Sasha asked.

Ryuu nodded.

"Why?" Mike asked.

Ryuu wrote something else in the dirt.

Sasha read it and turned to them, "Apparently, Mouko means Fierce Tiger."

"Fierce Tiger?" Mike said, "He seems like an over-grown kitten to me."

_Wrong answer wise ass_, Ryuu thought as his eyes gained a mischievous glint to them.

Mike didn't realize his mistake until too late. He watched as Ryuu's eyes gained a strange glint and Ryuu bared his teeth at him. Growling, Ryuu slowly stalked towards Mike like he would his prey.

Mike's eyes widened and he slowly backed away. Too soon did Mike's back hit the concrete wall of the bar.

Ryuu bared his teeth and extended his claws, _Let's see if we can make him wet his pants... _Ryuu thought evilly. Letting lose a roar he lunged at Mike, claws first.

Ryuu landed against the concrete, both his claws on either side of Mike's head. Mike closed his eyes as Ryuu's head came closer to his head, teeth still bared.

"Still think I'm just an 'over-grown kitten', Mike?" Came Ryuu's voice near his ear.

Mike rapidly shook his head 'no'.

"Good," Mike could almost hear the smirk that Ryuu had on his face.

Ryuu pushed off the wall and picked up his pants. He put his pants on and his button-up, but made his t-shirt disappear into sub-space.

When Sam gave him a questioning look, Ryuu shrugged, "Special technique."

Mike finally opened his eyes and slid down the wall. Ryuu went over to him and offered him his hand, "You okay, man?"

Mike nodded, "Yeah, a bit shocked, nothing too bad..." Mike grabbed Ryuu's hand.

Ryuu nodded back and helped Mike up, "Just one word of advice, never piss me off."

"Advice taken."

They walked back over to the group and Ryuu stood next to Sasha. Mike took his place in between Sam and Jon. Out of nowhere, for no reason, Sasha began to pet Ryuu's head. Ryuu couldn't stop the odd rumbling sound that erupted from his chest in response to her touch.

(-)

I could do nothing as the odd rumbling sound continued. Instead, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensations I got at Sasha's touch.

_Wonder what else her touch could do if she was caressing something else...?_ Tony said.

That was all it took to send my imagination over the edge in a perverted frenzy.

_Damn you, Tony_, I growled.

_You're welcome_, I could almost see the smirk on Tony's face. As a particularly interesting scene that crossed my mind Tony looked a bit shocked, _Wow, didn't know you were such a pervert, Ryuu...Didn't know you had a cherry fetish either..._

_Shut up, Tony..._ I growled.

My eyes shot open at a certain, extremely vivid...picture that crossed my mind. It had something to do with whipped cream and cherries.

I slowly edged away from Sasha, shaking my head, trying to rid myself as another, more erotic, scene made itself known.

I suddenly found my pants feeling a bit constricting. Now considering my pants were loose, that's quite hard to do.

I felt a tingling sensation in me as Sasha placed her hand on my shoulder.

"So you wanna take me now? Or go home and get the whipped cream?" I heard her say.

Of course my imagination was running wild on perverted thoughts and was obviously messing with mind. Is it me, or are my pants shrinking at the groin?

"What'd you say?" I asked, not exactly trusting my hazy, perverted, mind.

"I asked if you were okay. You're beginning to sweat," Sasha asked.

I shook my head, _Kami, if you only knew..._ "No, I...I'm going to go home and lay down...Try to sleep," I said walking towards my board, "Though something tells me I'm going to get little to no sleep tonight..." I muttered as I jumped on my board and rode home.

(-)

"I wonder what's wrong with Ryuu? He was fine a second ago," Sasha said.

Jon chuckled, "He'll be just fine, just let him sleep it off."

Jon had seen Ryuu's eyes when they had shot open. They were glazed and were a giant mix of lust, fear, and apprehension.

_How did that saying go again? Oh yeah. Confucius say: Man who sleep with sex on mind, wake up with solution in hand_, "Though I doubt he'll sleep at all tonight," Jon said bemusedly.

"What was that, Jon?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Jon said, "C'mon, let's skate some more before it gets too dark."

Sasha, though still worried over Ryuu's condition, could do nothing but skate and wait until she got home to check on him.

(-)

I sighed as I got off my board and unlocked the door, _Damn it, Tony! Do you enjoy making my life a living hell?_ I yelled at him.

_Not all the time. If you went insane, I'd have to deal with you, so I'm not going to push my luck too much_, Tony responded.

I opened the door and slammed it behind me; I winced and looked back at the door hoping it was still in one piece. When I saw it was still one piece, I sighed, and then started ranting to Tony again.

"So if I went insane, what would do? Leave me alone?" I asked.

_Most likely._

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a can of soda from the fridge, catching a glimpse of maraschino cherries my imagination went on another field day. I slapped my forehead.

"Damn you, Tony...What if I told you I was already insane? Huh? What would you do then?"

_If this is how you're like insane, I think I'd stick around a bit longer_, I could just barely see his smirk.

"I hate you, you know that?" I said drinking my soda and attempting to block off the many vivid and erotic pictures floating around my mind.

_Yes, I love you too, Ryuu._

"No, there is no love in our relationship. Only hate and tolerance," I walked into my room and went over to my radio. I grabbed my The Used: In Life and Death CD and threw it in my stereo along with Breaking Benjamin, Cold, and a party mix I had lying around. I pressed play and blasted the CDs.

"Augh, I need to blow off some steam...I need to kick virtual ass..." I stopped the CD player, grabbed the CDs in it, walked downstairs, put the CDs in the CD player down there, and pressed play. I turned the subwoofer to half power, which was still enough to cause vibrations in my soda, and blasted the music.

I sat down in a beanbag chair and began to play Bloody Roar 4. I went to endurance mode, chose Yugo, went tiger, and beat every AI's ass that entered the ring.

After I blew off some steam I shut the game off and decided to shoot some darts. But first...a small drawing would be needed. I flipped through the photo album me and Sasha kept near the dartboard and chose one of Matt. He was waving in the picture. I smirked, I remembered that day.

Sasha had taken the picture and it was at a pool party at Matt's house. Matt had always had a crush on Sasha. I could tell, I would sometimes catch him staring at Sasha as she walked by. And he seemed to glare at me whenever Sasha and me were together. Of course Sasha didn't like Matt that way. To us, he was a torture victim who just happened to live nearby. Anyway, Sasha had taken the picture to distract Matt while I poured some gasoline into his pool. Ah, what a day that was. I believe Charlie had 'accidentally' pushed Matt's _lit_ BBQ grill into the pool. After the initial fire started I had decided to high tail it out of there and get the details from Sasha later that night.

As you can tell, we don't really like Matt very much. (Smile)

I pinned the picture to the board using a dart. Thumbtacks usually become targets.

"Take out one eye...two eye...two teeth..." I said to myself as I hit each designated target.

_So, where'd all you mind porn go?_ Tony asked.

My aim faltered and I hit the wall, "...damn you, Tony..." I noticed I've said that a lot today.

I sighed and ran up the stairs. I had lost hold of the mind barrier I was using to keep the pictures away from the forefront of my mind. We saw how well that worked.

"I need a cold shower right now...a nice..._ice_ _cold_ shower...yeah, that sounds nice," I said as I ran into the bathroom.

(-)

It was around 6 when Sasha got home and opened the door. She wandered around looking for Ryuu. First his room; no sign of him. Then she felt, yes felt, the stereo on down stairs. Going down there she checked and found nothing but a picture of Matt with several holes in his face and a dart in the wall.

"Hmm...Ryuu's aim is usually perfect, wonder what made him lose his focus..." Sasha said before shutting off the stereo and heading upstairs.

Finally able to hear whatever goes on in the house she heard the shower running. She approached the door and knocked.

"Ryuu? You in there?" Sasha asked through the door.

"Nope, tis the boogy man!" Came the response, "I've brainwashed your housemate and made him go blow up Matt's car," _...And did I mention made him into a perverted man?_ Ryuu added as an after thought.

"Oh, okay, just making sure. Can you give him a message for me?"

"Yeah, sure. What be your message?" Ryuu asked.

"Tell him, I hope he feels better and to meet me downstairs for a round of Freaky Flyers."

"What if he's doesn't want to?"

"Just tell him I'll be Cactus Rose. He'll be there, trust me on that one," Sasha said as she turned and headed into her room to change into something more comfortable. Then she went downstairs to get the game set up.

(-)

A shiver ran through my spine, "Now I'm gonna a need to make the water colder...and then take another cold shower before bed...Damn it, I swear everyone's out to get me today..."

_You can't say you don't like it though_, Tony said.

_Who said I didn't? I'm just pissed that so much of it's happening today._

_If you weren't so much of a pervert this wouldn't be a problem you know._

_You think I haven't realized that yet? And it's not exactly something I can stop._

10 minutes later found me in my room trying to find a decent pair of sweats. I gave up and threw on a pair of black gi pants instead. I walked downstairs and went over to the mini bar we had built in the corner by my request. Grabbing a soda I sat down on my favorite black beanbag, next to Sasha, who was on the red one.

I turned to her and smirked, "Ready to get your ass kicked, Cactus Rose?"

She smirked back, "Today is the day I beat your ass, Von Slaughter."

"We'll see about that," I hit the glowing green button on the PS2 and we raced and battled. Of course, in my opinion, the best part was attempting to distract each other while we raced.

A half hour later we were racing and I was in 2nd while she was in 1st.

(-)

Sasha wanted to keep her 1st place status since they were on the 3rd lap. She smiled and got up from her beanbag chair and sat down on Ryuu's lap, never once pausing the game.

She smiled seductively at Ryuu, "So Ryuu...what would you do if I crawled into bed with you tonight?"

Her smile almost faltered at Ryuu's smirk. He leaned into her, always keeping an eye on the TV, and described some of his mind's scenarios to Sasha.

Sasha jumped off his lap, "Pervert!"

He shrugged, still smirking, "You asked, I answered...Booya! I win!"

Sasha did an excellent impression of a fish out of water as she watched stared at the TV. Meanwhile, behind her, Ryuu was doing his victory dance.

A few moments later, Ryuu was still behind her, but he had his arms wrapped around her torso.

"If you wanna cuddle tonight, you know where to find me," He breathed huskily into her ear.

Sasha turned around to face him, only to find him gone, or upstairs already, laughing. Sasha sported a deep red blush and after Ryuu had described what he'd do if she crawled into bed with him...she shivered, well, she was sure she had wet herself when he was talking in her ear a second ago.

"Pervert..." she mumbled, "Damn hot pervert, but a pervert none the less...hot pervert with a body to die for...damn it, now he's got me thinking dirty things, damn him..."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Reviews welcome, flames shall be used to keep blood-thirsty lawyers away.

-Lov3th3vil


	8. New Revelation

A/N:

First thing's first. To my reviewers: ranma hibiki, Athenais (Your ideas were great inspiration for this chapter! You'll see I've used some of your ideas in this chapter and in the next ones as well.), Batanga (Ryuu's pairing is, for now, him and Sasha. I haven't made either a definite yet.), Smiles, Ormik (Now that I look back on those lines, it wasn't really a timeline glitch. Ryuu has been missing from Nerima for 2 years now. But people haven't been calling him Ryuu for any longer than a year. So...yeah, if that don't make sense I'll change it.), imortis (SetsunaXRanma sites. If you're into the pairing let me know, I'll give you the site address.), Ryo's destiny (You know you love me! And yes, I'm cruel, but you knew that, Midget. :Smile:), Aquarius Star...THANK YOU ALL! Now, just to point out a few quick things. The pairing for this story, I'm still unsure of. It seems most of you would prefer Sasha paired with Ryuu. But it's still open to Kasumi if I get enough of you asking for a pairing with her. And in this chapter someone from Ranma's past is revealed. She won't make that big of a difference in the story. But, the fact that she's brought up is for a few reasons. One of the reasons being why I almost, _almost_, named this chapter "Ode To Sakura". Any other reasons I'll reveal within the chapter. Okay, that done, onto the story. Enjoy!

New Revelation

Two weeks after Xian's departure, Summer finally made it's appearance. And we were faced with scorching heat as a consolation prize. The days had breezed by and for some reason I was particularly happy one day. I thought nothing could ruin my mood. Until I went to sleep that night.

That night I dreamt of _her_. The one I had thought would never haunt my dreams again. I dreamt of Sakura.

She was my first girlfriend. My first kiss.

My first love.

(-(-(-(Ryuu's Dream)-)-)-)

Two sillouhettes could be seen. One obviously male and the other female. As the duo got closer, their appearances were made more clear. The male could now be shown as a teenager of about 15. He had long black hair pulled into a pigtail. His bright grey-blue eyes radiated pure bliss. He wore black gi pants and a red Chinese shirt.

Next to him the female could also now be shown as a teenager of 15. She had long brown hair that went a bit farther than her shoulder blades. She had expressive green eyes that showed her obvious happiness of being near the boy. She wore a blue high school outfit.

As a few moments pass we can see the two chatting about idle matters. Just enjoying the other's company. The boy can now be fully identified as Ranma. Though the girl is still unknown to us.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

Now I remember, it was her smile that brought me in. That ensnared me and made me fall so in love.

Images just flashed before my eyes. Our first meeting. The times we spent together as friends. Then our first kiss and the many dates afterwards. The scenes that faded past me were all the times we had spent together in the month of time me and Genma had passed through Japan. Just before heading off to China. The scenes finally slowed down a bit. And with wide eyes, I watched our last hour together.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

"It looks like rain, Sakura-chan," Ranma said looking up at the grey skies.

Sakura simply smiled, "That's okay, you know I love the rain."

Ranma smiled at her, "All too well," His smile faltered a bit, "I guess you'll have to head home now. Your folks will start to worry if you don't."

She pouted, "They worry too much."

"I worry about you, too, Sakura-chan. Does that put me in the same category?" Ranma asked just barely suppressing a sly grin.

"No. You're a different case, Ranma. You have every right to worry! You're my boyfriend," She smiled, "Plus, who could blame you after I was almost run over by that car the other week?"

Ranma sighed, "I almost had a heart attack because of that one..."

"But here I am, standing right beside you, alive and well. So there's no need to worry," Sakura said giving Ranma a small kiss on the cheek.

Ranma blushed a bit, "You know I'll always worry about you no matter the situation, Sakura-chan."

"I know."

Ranma leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips, "Now, I gotta go. So be careful on your way home, okay?"

Sakura nodded and gave Ranma a hug before turning and waving as she ran off down the sidewalk.

Ranma shook his head and turned to walk in the opposite direction, "Knowing her, she'll make her way home slowly just to worry her parents. She'll be the death of them yet..."

A few minutes passed in silence for Ranma as he walked along the sidewalk. But alas, paranoia never truly leaves a person, though I doubt this was any case of paranoia, maybe just te affect of spending a lot of time with a shrine priestess.

"Ranma..." A soft voice whispered in the breeze.

Ranma stopped in his tracks. He looked around for the source of the whisper but found none. The shivers that ran down his spine didn't help ease his nerves.

"I could've sworn I heard Sakura's voice..." Ranma shook his head rapidly, "I'm beginning to imagine things. I don't hear voices." (If he only knew, ne?)

Ranma walked on for a few moments before stopping and looking back the way he'd came. The shiver running up and down his spine still there, "Maybe I should go back and make sure Sakura got home safely..."

A stronger shiver ran down his spine and he started walking back the way he'd came. First walking, then jogging. Soon he began having a gut feeling something bad was going to happen. Knowing his gut feelings had never steered him wrong, he sped up to a slow running pace.

"Ranma..." He heard the voice whisper again and he ran a bit faster.

"Sakura," He mumbled to himself, "I'm coming..."

The next few minutes blurred by in seconds. Ranma passed an alley where Sakura was cornered by a tall, sleezy-looking man. A small exchange of words before a fight had occured between Ranma and the man. Sakura was standing off to the side, watching and silently praying. Suddenly the man had drawn a gun from his coat and pointed it towards Ranma.

Ranma stood stock still and time seemed to suddenly slow down.

Ranma watched as the man's finger curled around the trigger and pulled. He closed his eyes tightly, expecting pain. It took 5 seconds to register that the bullet he thought had been meant for him...wasn't. And 3 seconds passed as Ranma realized who the only other person in the alley was.

"No," Ranma whispered as he turned to find Sakura slowly slump against the alley wall, holding the spot where the bullet had hit.

Time resumed its normal flow as Ranma lashed out at the man with a viscious round house kick to the head. His mind just barely registered the sound of his foot hitting flesh and bone and the audible snap that followed.

Ranma was sprinting towards Sakura before the man's body had time to hit the floor.

"Sakura!" Ranma shouted picking up her body.

"Ranma..." She whispered, and Ranma distinctly heard a similarity in the whisper he had heard earlier.

He quickly brought her out to the sidewalk, away from the alley, shouting for help, "Help! Someone please! Call an ambulance!

He fell to his knees, gently cradling Sakura's limp body to his own. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face, "Don't die on me, Sakura, if you die I'll never forgive you," He said to her.

She slowly opened her green eyes and looked at Ranma. The pain in her eyes tore at Ranma's heart.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry...I wasn't fast enough...I-" He silenced by Sakura's finger on his lips.

"It's not your fault, Ranma. I knew my time would come earlier than it should have," She smiled faintly, "Having shinto priests for parents has it's advantages when it comes to knowing the vague future."

Ranma smiled at her, "Even on the brink of death you can smile, Sakura...how do you do it?"

"It's a secret..."

Ranma chuckled and watched as the skies suddenly opened up, seemingly shedding tears for the couple.

A woman approached them, "I've called an ambulance. They should be here soon," The woman looked to Sakura, "Hold on, young lady, help is on the way," With that she turned to stand nearby and keep watch for the ambulance.

A moment of silence passed between the couple before Ranma broke it by asking, "The ambulance isn't going to make it in time, is it, Sakura-chan?"

"No, because that's how it was meant to be," Sakura whispered, knowing full well the affect her words had on Ranma, "Ranma."

Ranma looked down at Sakura, "Yes?"

"You know, I'll never truly leave you."

"I know...but I just wish it didn't have to happen like this..." Ranma looked up at the sky and allowed the rain to mingle with his tears.

A hand touched his cheek, forcing him to look back down at Sakura, "I'll watch you from above, Ranma," A faint nod came from Ranma.

He took a deep shaky breath, "Sakura...can we share one last kiss...?"

The hand that was still against his cheek moved to pull his neck down to her. Their lips met in a passionate kiss and when Ranma broke the kiss a few moments later he whispered into her ear.

"You'll always be my first love, Sakura-chan."

Ranma saw the barely noticable nod from Sakura and watched her draw her last breath. Ranma watched as she quietly died in his arms, a content smile on her face.

That day, Sakura Koshou died in Ranma's arms. Several minutes before the ambulance arrived.

As the ambulance carried her body to the hospital Ranma smiled faintly and stared up at the cloudy sky. The rain mixing with his tears.

"It's funny how quickly our positions have changed. For the entire time we've known each other, I always looked after you and protected you. Now it'll be you looking after me..." Ranma chuckled and smiled at the sky, clearly seeing Sakura's smiling face staring back down at him, "I always wondered why Romeo and Juliet was your favorite story. Now I know."

The rest of the scenes flashed by him quickly. The funeral. The burial. Sakura's parents telling him he was welcome at their shrine any time he could visit. Genma dragging him off to China.

Everything faded to black as Ryuu sat up in his bed. Fully awake.

(-(-(-(Ryuu's Dream-End)-)-)-)

I sat up and breathed in deep breathes.

'You okay, Ryuu?' I heard Tony ask.

'Yeah...just shocked. I wasn't prepared to face her memory...' I sat on my bed contemplating for a few moments before getting up and grabbing my notebook and a pen. I had some lyrics to write.

'I wonder why you dreamt of her tonight?' Tony asked.

'Probably to remind me of her. I usually have a dream about her once a month. But that was before the entire betrayal incident.'

'So, Sakura was why you wanted to keep distant from Akane...?'

'Yeah. When we went to the Tendos it was the one year anniversary of her death. I didn't want a fiancee. I didn't want that damned curse. I just wanted to go to Osaka and visit her grave.'

'But you never made it there.'

'No. Genma made sure of that. I don't know what he had against me, but that man made sure I stayed in Nerima unless I was malleted out.' I growled at the hought of that damned mallet.

'The way I figure it, he wanted to make sure you didn't leave town and try to get cured without him.'

'Well, he succeeded. I didn't get cured until two years later and I never managed to leave town until I went to Mom's.'

A few moments of silence passed between us.

'...You do realized you killed that man that day...'

'Yes.'

'So technically, you were a "blooded warrior" _before_ Saffron happened.'

'You're point?'

'I don't know, just thought I'd point that out. Is Sakura the reason why you were such a jerk in Nerima too? Because you seemed like such the gentleman in Osaka...'

'Yes. I wasn't ready to fall in love again. I didn't want to. But I couldn't deny that I loved Akane after Jusendo.'

'But you did.'

'Well I meant I couldn't deny it to myself.'

'Yu-huh, suuuure...' I could see Tony roll his eyes.

'Shut up. The point _is_ that I didn't want to fall in love with her. I wasn't ready. Even after two long years I wasn't ready. And she made me hate my falling in love with her more after I caught her with Ryoga.'

'What would've happened had Ryoga stayed in your way that day you left for your mother's?'

'I probably would've snapped. I just wanted to hurt someone so badly that day. But I held myself back.'

'Why?'

'Because that one scene with the guy from Osaka kept playing itself in my mind. I kept seeing Ryoga in his place. How my leg so easily lashed out and snapped his neck...as much as I hated Ryoga at the moment, I still had that stupid honor code. The one that refused to let me kill again.'

'So when your mother disowned you...'

'The honor code I had created previously was gone. I was able to recreate it into a better one suited for my needs.'

'So next time Ryoga brings the incident up...' Tony left the sentence unfinished.

"Pop goes the weasel..." I whispered as I finished up the second song I created during my and Tony's little talk.

I laid back down on my bed and placed my notebook and pen aside, 'Night Tony.'

'G'night, Ryuu, sleep well.'

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We were scheduled to play at Uncle Dan's today. Uncle Dan being Sam's Uncle. Ironic isn't it? Anyway, I had brought the songs over to Mike, Jon, and Sam and we were putting music to it. We had decided to play the two new songs plus one we had made earlier but never played, Cut Up Angels.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I stood by the bar and talked with Sasha and Dan, the bartender and owner of Uncle Dan's. I was unusually early for some reason. I didn't really care though, I just wanted to get on stage and sing.

I didn't have to wait too long since Mike and Jon came in the door several minutes later. Sam and I had already set up the equipment, Sam's always the first to arrive since she works at the bar every other day.

We all got up onstage and I spoke into the mike, "Hey everyone! How you doin' today!"

The people sitting before us shouted an array of answers.

"Today we have new songs, as per normal. So let's get started, shall we?" Jon said.

"Our first song today is called Rain Song," Sam said.

The music began to play and I jumped in a bit later.

_When it rains I don't mind  
__Let me stand here all night  
__Did she take her own life  
__Let me know she's alright_

_And everytime it rains  
__I feel her holding me  
__And everytime it rains  
__Are the angels cryng?_

_I'll stay strong, I'll be fine  
__Carry on with my life  
__I still stare at the sky  
__Pray for rain, all the time_

_Why'd you run? Did you hide?  
__Why'd you leave, no good-bye?  
__When the clouds take the sky  
__Does the storm give you life?_

_And everytime it rains  
__I feel her holding me  
__And everytime it rains  
__Are the angels crying?_

_And everytime it rains  
__I feel her holding me  
__And everytime it rains  
__All the angels cry for me_

_I'll never be the same  
__I'll never be the same  
__Be the same  
__Be the same_

_And everytime it rains  
__I feel her holding me  
__And everytime it rains  
__Are the angels crying?_

_And everytime it rains (and everytime it rains)  
__I feel her holding me (never be the same)  
__And everytime it rains (and everytime it rains)  
__Are the angels crying?_

The music faded slowly

"This next one's called Black Sunday," I said quietly.

The music picked up again a minute later.

_I can't breathe at all  
__And it hurts to think  
__That time could heal my wounds  
__Feeling I've been betrayed  
__Black Sunday still burns you in my thoughts  
__I can't sleep at all  
__Now youre gone away  
__I can't fake this anymroe  
__Guess I could blame it all  
__On God's game  
__Or explain what my life's for_

_Caught in a winter's rain  
__I can't remember a word you said  
__Take away my fear please hold on to me  
__I'm falling  
__Falling_

_I will trade it all  
__For another day  
__Just to feel you and your warmth  
__But even pictures fade  
__Black Sunday still burns you in my thoughts  
__I can't see at all  
__Did you fly away  
__Did the stars shine bright for you  
__Guess I could blame it all  
__On God's game  
__It was fate that carried you_

_Caught in a winter's rain  
__I can't remember the word you said  
__Take away my fear please hold on to me  
__I'm falling  
__Falling_

_You always take away  
__Take away  
__Take away_

_Caught in a winter's rain  
__I can't remember the word you said  
__Take away my fear please hold on to me  
__I'm falling  
__Falling_

_Caught in a winter's rain  
__I can't remember the word you said  
__Take away my fear please hold on to me  
__I'm falling  
__Falling_

_And I'm falling  
__I'm falling  
__I'm falling  
__I'm falling  
__I'm falling_

The music slowly faded away and I opened my eyes to view the crowd.

"This next song is called Cut Up Angels," Mike said.

The music started up quickly after Mike's introduction of the song.

_If we cut out the bad  
__Well then we'd have nothing left  
__Like I cut up your mouth  
__The night I stuffed it all in_

_And you lied to the angels  
__Said I stabbed you to death  
__If we go at the same time  
__They'll clean up the mess  
__  
I lost my head  
__You couldn't come  
__This lust to my brain almost feels like a gun_

_Watched you bite into the bottle  
__Watch me kick out the chair  
__Let you chew up the glass  
__And laughed as you just hung there_

_I have thought of rose petals  
__Mostly perfect and pure  
__I thought of your petals  
__And the abuse they've been through_

_I lost my head  
__You couldn't come  
__This lust to bring almost feels like a gun_

_You lost your head  
__I couldn't come  
__This lust to my brain almost feels just like a gun YEAH_

_I told the angels  
__Can't stay in heaven  
__I asked the devil, the devil, the devil_

_If we cut out the bad  
__Then we'd have nothing left  
__Like I cut up your angels  
__Yeah you stabbed me to death_

_I lost my head  
__You couldn't come  
__This lust to my brain almost feels like a gun_

_You lost your head  
__I couldn't come  
__This lust to my brain almost feels just like a gun YEAH_

_I lost my head  
__You couldn't come  
__Lust to my brain almost feels like a gun_

_I lost my head  
__You couldn't come  
__Lust to my brain almost feels like a_

_Almost feels like a gun  
__Almost feels like a gun  
__Feels like a gun  
__Feels like a gun  
__Feels like a gun  
__Feels like a..._

This music faded and the guitars were the last to fade.

"We're gonna give you guys a bonus song today, because we're feeling a bit generous. How's that sound to you?" Jon asked the crowd.

A huge round of applause erupted around us and we smiled widely at each other.

"This song I want to dedicate to a few people I know. Those two people being Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki. May your lives be hell in marriage!" I yelled.

"Okay then, this song's called Let it Bleed!" Mike yelled and the music began.

_This poison's intoxication  
__I broke the needle off in my skin  
__Pick the scabs and pick the bleeding  
__And assume that it was all in vein  
__Popping a scab that's never healing  
__It had almost hit me in the face  
__A burning bridge is so misleading  
__Poison's more important now with the pain_

_Let it bleed  
__And take the rest for what it's worth  
__Watch the fire  
__Fill your lungs with smoke for the last time  
__If you feel like dying, you might wanna sing_

_The fire department couldn't drown the city  
__They didn't even try to wash it clean  
__What did you think, that I was sober?  
__Put me out 'cause I'm on fucking fire  
__I'm popping a scab that's never healing  
__I'm proud that I kept this clean  
__The most that I can do for you is keep on lying  
__I'm tired of lying, I think I'd rather sing_

_Let it bleed  
__And take the rest for what it's worth  
__Watch the fire  
__Fill your lungs with smoke for the last time  
__If you feel like dying you might wanna sing!_

_Oh ho ho ho you might wanna sing  
__Ha ha ha you might wanna sing  
__Ha ha you might wanna sing  
__Ha ha SING  
__You might wanna sing  
__You might wanna sing  
__You might wanna sing or scream it!_

_This poison's my intoxication  
__I broke the needle off in my skin  
__Pick the scabs and pick the bleeding  
__Yeah, assume that it was all in vein_

_Let it bleed  
__And take the rest for what it's worth  
__Watch the fire  
__I'ma fill your lung with smoke for the last time  
__If you feel like dying  
__If you feel like dying  
__If you feel like dying, you might wanna sing  
__Ha ha ha you might wanna sing  
__Ha ha you might wanna sing  
__You might wanna sing or scream it!_

The music didn't fade, it just stopped after Mike hit the drums a few more times. A huge applause erupted from the crowd and we couldn't help but smile.

"Well, that's all folks!" Mike said standing up.

We had another round of applause from the crowd as a parting gift. And we all stood and began packing our equipment away for next time.

An hour passed, the bar's crowd was beginning to thin out and we all were gathered around the bar drinking soda since we were underage, except Jon who was the only one without a virgin Shirley Temple.

Anyway, we were just hanging out with Dan and talking when a man approached us. Well, _I_ didn't see him. And he, unfortunately, had decided to grab my shoulder. Which resulted in me looking down at the man with my knee against his windpipe.

Sasha came up and gently touched my shoulder, "Ryuu? Relax, I don't think he meant any harm."

I blinked and finally realized what I had done. I stood up quickly and helped him up from the floor, "I'm sorry, I really am! I've just been on edge today for some reason..."

I stopped apoligizing as he raised a hand to stop me fro speaking, "It's okay, I'm fine," He stretched his back a bit, "A few bruises on my back, but nothing serious."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and held out a hand, "Name's Ryuu Ranma, sorry 'bout that."

He shook my hand, "Robert Benson. Who're your friends?"

I pointed to each as they were introduced, "Jon, Mike, Sam, Sasha, and Dan."

They each waved at Robert and Mike asked, "So what brings you over here, Robert? Autograph?"

Sam smacked Mike in exasperation and we all laughed.

Robert shook his head, "I work for a record company on the edge of New York. We had a few guys come in and observe your work and they came back with excellent reviews on your band."

Me, being the ever oblivious person I am, asked, "So you came for an interview?" Sasha smacked me.

"He works for a record company you dolt!"

"So?"

"This could be your big break!"

"Ooo...okay..." After Tony yelled at me a bit explaining things in better detail the lightbulb clicked on, "Oh...Oh! Damn I'm slow today..."

Sasha smacked her forehead and turned to Robert, "Please excuse him, he's an excellent singer and lyrics composer, he's just really slow sometimes."

Robert laughed a nodded, "I can see that. So, would you like to come to the company building and set up a record label deal?"

Sam was bouncing up and down in joy. Mike was smiling and drinking Jon's non-virgin Shirley Temple. Jon was smiling like an idiot. And I found myself smiling as well.

I nodded, "When can we go?"

Robert smiled back, "Whenever you guys like."

Sasha spoke up, "We'll go now then."

Robert frowned a bit, "I don't remember seeing you up on stage...are you sure you're part of the band?"

I jumped in at this point, "She's our band manager. Without her, we're just a bunch of skateboarding punks who can sing and play instruments...which is what we are _with_ her around as well. But she keeps us under a good eye and makes sure Sam doesn't kill Mike. And that Jon doesn't drink too much. And that I don't burn down anymore than 1 building a week," I finished with a goofy smile.

Robert shrugged, "Whatever, she can come along then. There's a limo out front..."

Mike and Sam were already outside as soon as the word limo left his mouth.

"...waiting for you."

"Don't mind them..." I said walking outside and following them with Sasha by my side. I turned to her while we were standing in front of the limo, "Think we'll get the deal?"

"There's no doubt in my mind that you'll get this deal," Sasha said with a bright smile.

I smiled back and walked forward, opening a door for her, "After you, m'lady."

She laughed and got into the limo with me following behind shortly.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We spent the rest of the day at the company building comprimising deals and all that shit. We discovered the company label as being flip.

We got a decent deal with the company, I was told this by Sasha because I fell asleep half-way through the meeting. By the time we got home it was dark out and all other plans for the day had been shot to hell. So I retrieved the mail and found a letter from Mom.

I threw the mail on the table and told Sasha I'd be in my room if she needed me. I jumped on my bed and ripped the envelope away from the letter. I opened it hastily and read the letter in my mind.

'Dear Ryuu, How are you dear? Thing have been going smoothly around here. Ukyo has begun dating Konatsu. Kasumi finally got rid of Tofu's "Kasumi-itis" as I recall you calling it. Nabiki is still up to her usual tricks, attempting to find out where you're "hiding" as she likes to put it. Akane is being frustrating as is normal. I last heard Ryoga got lost trying to find the bathroom. I wonder where he wound up? Genma, the fat fool, is in jail. His past acts finally caught up to him and the police found him at the Tendos.' I snorted, "Bastard deserves it."

'I've been doing well, it's still lonely without anyone around. But Kasumi's frequent visits have made life a lot easier for me. I got those papers back from the office and they've changed your last name to Mouko, just as you asked.'

"It's about time. Those fools at the office sure took thier time with that."

'I really hope you finish settling down in New Jersey so I may visit. Though I have a feeling it won't be for a while. How has Sasha been? I recall you mentioning her quite a few times in your last letter.'

"That was probably a mistake..."

'I think Kasumi's jealous though. Everytime I mention Sasha she gets a little red in the face or her voice hardens a bit. I think Kasumi is hoping for a relationship with you son. Oh, my son is so manly! Just joking, dear. You know that contract was only to keep Genma in line. Anyway, I hope things are going well for you New Jersey. How is the band? I hope Mike hasn't broken anything recently. Mike seems like such an entertaining boy.'

"Mom, you have no idea..."

'How is your relationship with Sasha? Have you gotten anywhere with her? If you have, you know you can tell me. I am your mother after all. Now, I have a few things to take care of before it gets late. Take care, dear. Don't break any bones while skateboarding. And remember, subtlety with relationships don't always work. Sometimes you need to go for the direct approach.'

I blushed, "Geez, Mom, you just don't give up do you?" It's amazing how easily a Mom can make you blush through a letter...

'Good luck with your band and tell everyone I said Hello. Love always, Your Mother.'

I sighed, "She's something my Mother...well better get to telling Mom the good news," I grabbed a blank piece of paper and began a letter telling Mom of the latest revelations that's happened. This includes finding Ryoga and the small torture session, last night's dream, the songs I created for Sakura, the concert, meeting Robert, the deal we made with him, the fact that the next meeting is tomorrow, and the probability of a tour in Japan.

When I was finished I had a few pages worth of a letter. I folded it neatly and put it in an envelope, and went out to the mail box for the mail man. Hey, the earlier the better. Not that anyone could read the letter, the entire thing is in Japanese. (smile)

When I got inside I was just in time for dinner.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

Two months later found us at the Flip company building once again and in the middle of a meeting.

"So, we wanted to send you guys on a tour. Is that alright with you all?" Robert asked.

Everyone nodded and Robert continued, "The only thing you guys have to decide is, where?"

"We could just go around America, hit Colarado, Florida, Arizona, and a few others," Jon said.

"Or we could stay close to New Jersey and hit Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and different area of Jersey, and Maine," Mike offered.

"What about Virginia? And Georigia?" Sam asked.

"Japan."

"What was that, Ryuu?"

I spoke up a bit louder, "Let's go to Japan. I've told you guys about it and you said yourselves you'd visit if someone gave you the chance."

They all looked at me.

"Now I'm asking to give you the chance. We go to Japan for a tour and we'll need to hit Osaka, Nerima, Juuban, Tokyo, and wherever else you guys decide," I leaned back in my seat, "I don't know about you guys, but I know people who would love to see our band in concert."

"Like who?" Mike asked.

"His mother for one," Sasha said.

"Oh..." Was all Mike said.

"Which reminds me, Mom says 'Hello' and," I turned to Robert, "The document asking for a name change finally came through. I need to change my last name to Mouko on the contract."

Robert nodded and made a call asking for the papers. A few hours later we were all getting ready to go home and pack for a tour around Japan.

Won't Mom be suprised to see me on her doorstep. (smile)

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

"So, what do you plan on bringing Sasha?" I asked.

"Clothes, essentials, skateboard, Cd player, Cd's...the usual traveling items. You?"

"Same," I said opening the door. We walked to our respective rooms and began packing. I wrote a letter to the address Xian gave me and told her about the concert. Giving her the first few towns we would appear in.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

A few days later we were standing at the airport, getting ready to take off towards Japan.

"You guys ready to see my home land?" I asked them.

They all shook their heads, "Hell no. If any of them are as crazy as you, I'm scared shitless," Mike said.

"Listen, wise ass, I'm only crazy because of how I was brought up...and probably because of the little voices in my head telling me to burn things..." I trailed off.

'Hey! I didn't tell you to light the yard on fire using shaving cream!' Tony shouted.

'Nope, you told me to burn the entire yard and chase the passing poodle for some reason...' I mused back.

Tony was silent after that. And Jon laughed, "Looks like the next several hours are going to be fun..."

"Yeah..." Sam said," Who wants to bet and see who beats up who first?"

With a show of hands everyone agreed, but since Jon doesn't gamble (:snort: yeah right) he agreed to hold on to the money for the bets.

"20 bucks says Sam beats Mike first," I said.

"50 bucks says Ryuu beats Mike's ass after an attempt to interrupt something he's doing," Sasha said.

"I put 20 bucks on Jon beating someone's ass because they piss him off," Mike said.

"I put 20 bucks on my beating on Mike first," Sam said.

"The bets are in. The money is in. The bets are closed and sealed. Let the games begin!" Jon said as we prepared to board our jet. Robert set us up with a small luxery jet heading straight for Osaka Japan.

I sat next to Sasha. Mike sat next to Sam. And Jon sat in a row of seats by himself.

And so, our games began on a flight over 4 in a half hours. (If that's wrong, that's okay, I don't need two psycotic pyros on a plane for more than 5 hours with nothing better to do.)

An hour passed before the real fun began. I was just sitting still waiting for something to happen.

"I'm bored! Jon fight me!" Mike yelled tackling Jon. They began a tiny brawl on the plane with Sasha yelling at them to stop fighting.

"Oh, oh! This is so good, it just _has_ to be fattening!" I yelled in a fit of randomness.

Sam raised an eyebrow at me and I just shrugged. After the brawl ended it was quiet again. It was boring and I was feeling spontaneous.

"...Kiss me, Sasha."

Sasha looked at me like I had grown a spare head, "What?"

"It's boring. I'm feeling spontaneous. Kiss me."

Sasha was silent for a moment and then shrugged, "Okay."

We leaned close and Sasha hesitated a moment. I continued forward none-the-less and our lips met momentarily.

"It's about time!" Sam exclaimed.

Sasha blushed, "..."

I smiled goofily, "You taste good."

Sasha's blush deepened.

"Wanna do it again?" I asked.

Sasha blushed even deeper but nodded regardless. We kissed again, this time without hesitation on Sasha's part. The kiss deepened a little more. And I was softly asking for entrance...when something small and hard hit me upside the head.

I broke the kiss and stared at the MnM on the floor. I looked up and saw Mike eating a bag of MnM's and trying to suppress his laughter.

"Mike..." I growled. Mike's smile was wiped clean off his face as he watched me stand and approach. I jumped him, "Die!"

"Eek!" Was Mike's only reply as he tried to scramble away. I tackled him and started pounding him into the floor.

"Looks like Sasha wins todays bet," Jon said handing Sasha her winnings. Which was conveniently 110 dollars. Quite a nice amount if I do say so myself...and I do.

An hour later I was sitting in my sit, arms crossed about my chest, and a large pout on my face.

"Teach him to interrupt me when I'm doing something..." I grumbled.

Sasha had moved her seat, at Sam's urging, and now they sat side by side, giggling every once in a while. Jon sat in his seat with his CD player on and blasting. Mike was laying down in his reclined seat, moaning and groaning about bruises and a few cuts and scrapes.

I took out my Cd player and listened to music until I realized we had a stereo on the jet. I got up, grabbed a party mix I had made a few months ago and put it in the stereo. I smiled at the girls as they threw me curious looks and pressed play.

The music started playing, we all smiled, and we all got up and danced to party music blasting in the compartment..all except Mike who believed his ankle was twisted. (smile)

We danced until the stereo was turned down and we were told to sit down, buckle up, and prepare for landing. Which was 2 hours later.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We stepped out of the airport and I took a deep breath...and almost gagged, "You'd think air that was cleaner than Jersey would be enjoyable..."

"Not everything's as it seems," Sasha said.

"How true," I opened my arms in a hugging fashion towards Sasha and she walked towards me. As she opened her arms I embraced her and kissed her deeply. Breaking the kiss I smiled at her, "Nope, not as it seemed."

She blushed as I released her and we headed towards our hotel. I had the distinct feeling that I wouldn't regret anything I did during our stay in Japan.

To Be Continued...

A/N:

Booya! They kissed! About time too! Oh well, I said before that I wasn't sure of the pairing. But if anyone has no complaints, I think I'm going to stick with a Ryuu/Sasha pairing.

Now, where'd Sakura come from? She came from 5 hours worth of sitting in a car, zoned out listening to nothing but music. That and I wanted a reason to use Black Sunday and Rain Song. Sure, I could've just used them without any background reasons. But where's the fun in that? Plus, I have a small thing set up for when the band visits Osaka now.

If the band's tour information is screwed up, don't flame me for it. I don't manage a band. And I've never watched those "behind-the-scenes" shows that showed you the details. Because personally, I don't care enough. I don't know if Flip is a real record company either. All I know is that it was on a CD I had lying nearby and I assumed it was a record company. If I'm wrong, I'll change it to Geffer. :Smile:

The 5 hour drive to and from New Jersey I endured for my Uncle's birthday was spent being zoned out and listening to every CD I packed into my CD case. With my being zoned out I spent the 5 hours figuring out how Sakura would give me reason to use those songs, the fact that I was listening to Cold: Year of The Spider at the time helped, and what would happen afterwards. The kiss on the jet was just me being a small pervert. And Mike ruining their second kiss was me being mean and allowing Sasha to make some side cash. :Smile: The fact that I have this week off from school also allows me to work on the next chapter after I get some feedback on this one. I've also decided to do disclaimers every 10th chapter just so I can mess around a bit before I start the chapter.

Now, remember, all opinions are welcome. Good reviews are cherished. Bad reviews ae cherished for aproximately 5 minutes before being used to host a bonfire with friends...or just to scare the shit out of my friend Melissa as I roast marshmallows...I love you, Melissa :Smile:

Press

That

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	9. Osaka Prepare! Ryuu Has Arrived!

DISCLAIMER:

Author: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or any of the songs mentioned in this story. I _do_ however own Jon, Mike, Sam, Tony, Sasha and Ryuu.

Ryuu: I thought you said you owned Ra-(ZAP)

Author: (Malicious grin) I like tasers...

Ryuu: (Hair is smoking)(Twitch) o.o

Author: You shouldn't smoke, Ryuu, tis bad for your health.

Ryuu: So is (cough) saying things you were (cough) told not to.

Author: (Nods) You bet your ass.

Ryuu: Why would I bet my ass? O.o

Author: It's a saying, Ryuu, like "that's interesting" or "I love you"

Ryuu: Oh...okay...

Author: Surrounded by idiots... -.-

Ryuu: I resent that.

A/N:

First thing's first, reviewers: ranma hibiki, imortis, Darkpyon, Batanga, Wonderbee31 (Oh, you have no idea the pain that people will experience, and I doubt even half of it will happen to Ryuu.:Evil smirk:), DoomGazeHell, Ormik (Yeah, went over my 3-song-per-chapter limit last time. Won't happen again, promise. And don't worry about Ryuu, he'll make up for the lack of romantics this chapter.), Smiles (It's true, he probably _could've_ worn out more women. But, c'mon, how many fics have you seen where Ranma is hording anymore than two? I like to keep my men on a short leash. Whatever that means for Ryuu.), EVILSONOFA...(Heheh...revenge is sweet...and I'm not just saying that. When you see the chapter title is 'Revenge Is Sweet', one of two things has happened. Ryuu has made it to Nerima, or Ryuu is ready to exact his revenge.), Ryo's Destiny (I love you!), fanfic maniac (Hmm...now that I think about it...it _is_ a purpelish color isn't it? xD), Aquarius Star, Starjacker (Heh...fire...), neko (Keep an eye out and look for signs, you should catch a glimpse of someone from Nerima in the crowd this chapter.), Sonic 1 (Actually, I seriously had a plan to add one. But, eventually, as the story progressed, I just kinda shot the idea to hell. I don't know how I'm going to add one no more... -.-;;), Taiki, um...(Don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this story until it's complete), chaumiester (The next chapters will be out...the next time the story's updated. I can't help it that you're a speed reader, but I'll try my best to make the chapters longer. But remember, longer chapters mean more time between updates. Just pointing that out..), wild storm...THANK YOU ALL! I really appreciate it that you guys take the time to review, makes me feel that much more obligated to get the next chapter out. Now, since there really isn't much to say...on to the chapter! Enjoy!

Osaka Prepare! Ryuu Has Arrived!

Osaka, our first stop. One of at least 6 spots. Our trip is planned as follows: Osaka, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Juuban, Sendai, and Nerima. Oh, how I'm going to enjoy this tour. Kami only knows how Robert convinced Flip to let us tour outside America, only he knows really.

And to add to my fun, I'm the only one who can operate in Japan without a translater present. (Smile) Life is grand ain't it? Actually...life is a journey. Go on without me. I have buildings to destroy, people to torture, and things to burn...oh, yeah! And people to date. (grin)

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We got to our hotel and figured out the arrangements. We pulled names out of a hat and guess what? Sasha ended up my roommate, imagine that. Nope, hat wasn't rigged and I didn't cheat either... (smile)

I walked into the hotel room and placed my stuff on the bed near the balcony window. I began to empty the contents of my bag around 'my' half of the room, declaring that half as mine during our stay. Magazines, Cds, Cd player, all placed upon the small dresser that sat beside my bed. My suitcase sat on a chair next to the small dresser. And I placed some of my essentials in a drawer in the bathroom. I marked the drawer as mine with a post-it that read "Ryuu's Drawer of Random Essential Shit Do Not Open Without Proper Consent" Big words for someone of my caliber, yes, but effective enough.

"Ryuu?"

I looked up from my suitcase and saw Sasha standing near her bed and fidgeting nervously, why she was nervous was beyond me...kind of.

Seeing she had my attention she spoke, "What goes on in that mind of your? You flirt with me, if you can call it that. You kiss me. Then you walk away as if nothing ever happened. Why?"

I blinked. That wasn't exactly the question I was expecting. At all. But I tried to answer the best I could none-the-less.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what goes on in my head. I think about a lot of things. Pyro thoughts, the creating of lyrics, the torture of a few select people, hentai thoughts on occasion. But trust me when I say this, when I flirt, when I kiss you. None of my feelings are false. I may walk away as if nothing happened. But masks can be deceiving," I had always loved being cryptic, Sailor Pluto being my second favorite senshi...Saturn being my first favorite, but SHHH! If any of the guys knew I'd never live it down...but then again, I don't think they'd live at all. (smile) Though my answer wasn't all that cryptic...but hey, you can't say I didn't try.

I smiled, "Listen, if you want more of your questions answered...I think I can work something out."

Sasha raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"

"A date. We go out to a nice restaurant, go out dancing and the such. And I'll answer whatever questions may be floating about your head to best of my capabilities," I answered, turning my attention back to my previous search within my suitcase.

"And what would you get out of it? There _has_ to be more to this than you're letting on..." Sasha said.

I only briefly looked up to meet Sasha's eyes before looking back inside my suitcase, "I get to spend a night out with a beautiful young woman, who, by the way, I've had a crush on for quite some time now..." My eyes brightened as I found what I was looking for, "Aha! Found it! I knew I hadn't left it in my closet..." I lifted my favorite lighter from my bag. It was a stainless steel, but black in color with descriptive flames that covered the lower half of the lighter.

Sasha raised an eyebrow at my little discovery, was silent for a moment as I lit a random candle. She was obviously mulling over my words before a, much delayed, sudden realization hit her, "You have a crush on me " She asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes and, diverting my gaze from the flame before me, looked at her, "And you said _I_ was slow..."

Sasha blinked and a blush crept up to her cheeks. I raised an eyebrow wondering why a blush had arisen for, seemingly, no apparent reason.

She was about to say something when a knock on the door sounded and a loud voice was heard, "Yo, Ryuu! I have the urge to see things burn! Come with me downtown?"

I smiled and blew out the candle's flame, "Alright, I'll just leave you here to your thoughts and to ponder my offer. Meanwhile, I have people to see, things to burn..."

I quickly made my way to the door and opened it. Only to get pounded on the chest by Mike's fist as he seemingly went to pound on the door again. I looked down at the shorter man, "Hey, you mind?"

Mike looked up at me and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, dude."

"No problem, can we go burn things now?"

Mike flashed a smirk almost identical to mine and we silently made our way to the elevator. Having rooms on the 7th floor made for a good view of the sunset and stuff like that, but not everyone can jump out a window that high and land without killing themself...

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I'm not going to go into much detail about what me and Mike burnt down that night. But let's just say that it involved kerosine, large metal barrels, a few cop cars, and maniacal shouting that sounded something like:

"MWAHAHAHA! FIRE! MWAHAHAHA!" and also like, "BURN BABY! BURN! AHAHAHA!"

Scary, yes, but fun as hell. Let's just say we escaped the cops with seconds to spare. Oh, and no one was harmed in the burning of the cop cars. A few unconscious cops maybe...but nothing serious.

Though Sasha wasn't the best of choices to come back to the hotel to after a night of pyro antics. The scolding I recieved was not one I want to experience again...unless I'm allowed to beg for forgiveness and I can kiss and "make up". (smirk) Oh, yes, wouldn't that be fun...

'Stop letting your mind wander, hentai, it's too small to be out alone.'

...Shut up, Tony...

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I awoke the next morning with a certain resolve in my eyes. I had people to see, places to visit, and memories to reminisce about.

I got up and took a nice hot shower. I walked out of the bethroom in only a towel just in time for Sasha to get up out of bed and take her turn in the bethroom, not without a profuse blush of course. Kami, how I love my timing.

I threw on a pair of black baggy cargos and a black t-shirt that said, clear as day, that I had more than just the voice of my little devil and tied up angel in my head, "You're just jealous 'cause the voices are talking to me"

I love me t-shirts, I truly do. When people ask me why I wear t-shirts almost everyday, I tell them, "I believe in the right to bare arms." Of course only a few understand the sarcasm within that sentence.

I left a short notice on my dresser sayting that I was out running a few errands. Then I left the hotel and made my way towards the Koshou Shinto Shrine.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I stood before the entrance to the shrine and sighed. It had been years since I was last here. I wonder if they'd remember me? Damn, I sure remember them. They were like my surragate parents, it was wierd, I had only known them for little less than a week, but they acted like I was the son they never had. Not that I'm complaining...hey, every one needs _someone_ to care sometime. And I definately needed someone to care, we all know Genma didn't give a rat's ass.

I walked up the shrine steps and approached the house that was built off to the side, about 20 yards from the shrine, and went to the door.

I took a deep breath, another breath...and then another...and then knocked, thinking all the while, 'Kami, I hope they remember.'

The door opened and a woman with long brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail opened the door. She looked at me with those expressive green eyes and, for a moment, I wondered if Sakura had somehow come back, but then I remembered something that had shocked me way back when.

Sakura looked almost identical to her mother.

I smiled gently, "It's been a long time, Saori-san."

She blinked and seemed to be deep in thought, she looked at my eyes, seemingly searching for something, then recognition flashed in her eyes, "Ran-chan!"

I think I had a sweatdrop form on the side of my head at the old nick-name she had given me so long ago. I nodded, "May I come in?"

Saori nodded, "Of course! Come in, come in!" She led me inside and I relived the many times I had spent in the house. I smiled and sat down at the low table as Saori went to make some tea.

She spoke from within the kitchen, "So, what brings you here? And what have you been up to since you left?"

"Well, since I've left, I've traveled to China with Genma. Settled down in Nerima for 2 years. Found out I had 3 fiancees. Killed a demi-god. Got tired of all the sh-err, stuff."

"Good catch," I saw Saori smirk from over the half wall seperating the kitchen from the dining room. Saori was always the only one who could make me watch what I say...I scratched the back of my head before continuing.

"Got tired of all the stuff I was being put through," I mumbled something to myself about a backstabbing bitch of a fiancee before continuing, "Went to visit my Mom, had her disown me, changed my name, and traveled around alone until I came to terms with everything and settled down again in New Jersey on the east coast of America."

Saori came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea, tea cups, and cookies. Out of everyone I've met in my life, Saori's cooking had to have been the best cooking I've ever eaten. Only Kasumi's cooking had ever come close, close I said, not better or on par, close.

"Seems you've been busy," Saori said pouring the tea, "What'd you change your name to?"

"Mouko Ryuu."

"Fierce Tiger Dragon...sounds like a horrible contradiction if you ask me."

"No one was asking you," I said as I reached for a cookie.

(Slap)

"Ow!" I cradled my abused hand, "What'd ya do that for?"

Saori only shook her, "You never change do you?"

"Why change? I like me the way I am," I said, quickly grabbing a cookie before she could slap it again.

"So what'd you do in New Jersey?" She asked.

"Eh, found a place to stay, found a job, joined a band, got a record deal, and somehow our director dude convinced the company to let us tour outside America," I said munching on the cookie, "So, what've _you_ been doing while I was gone?"

Saori shrugged, "We've kept the shrine afloat pretty much."

"How's Akashi-kun? I remember he took Sakura-chan's death pretty hard." I asked.

"Akashi...he's doing okay. He's gotten over it, but it's still a sensitive subject. Which reminds me, I was suprised when you didn't visit the grave at all after everything. What happened?"

I bowed my head, "Genma happened. Bas-...the old fart wouldn't let me leave Nerima, I guess he thought I was going to skip out on the engagement or something..."

"Seems like a good excuse..."

"It's not an excuse, Saori! You know that! If I had the power to have visited Sakura...I'd probably be living here and visiting her grave every other day."

Saori put her hands up in a defensive gesture, "Relax, Ra-err, Ryuu. I know that. Heck, everyone who knows you knew that. I was only wondering," Saori was silent for a moment, "Ryuu, you want to go visit her grave?"

I lifted my head, "Really? Yeah! I've been meaning to talk to her..." I smiled lightly.

Saori nodded and we left for the cemetary.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I kneeled before the grave and relived the burial. I again watched as they lowered the casket into the grave and watched as those around me shed tears for her.

I remember, after the burial, one of Sakura's friends had approached me. And asked why I didn't mourn for her, why I didn't shed any tears.

I had simply smiled and said, "Between the time of her death, and now, I'm all cried out."

Shaking my head of memories I stared at the gravestone. I looked up at Saori, then back down at the grave.

"It's been awhile, Sakura-chan..."

Me and Saori sat down on a blanket in front of Sakura's grave and I told them both a detailed story of the past 4-5 years.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We spent a few hours in the cemetary, just relaying what we've done the past few years to each other, then headed back to the shrine for lunch. Akashi was at the house and we talked some more. Just reliving past memories without the pain.

It was around 1 in the afternoon by the time I left the shrine. I headed to the hotel to speak with Sasha.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

"Hey, Sasha!" Ryuu yelled walking in the door.

Sasha, who had been laying on her stomach watching the Tv, looked up and smiled at Ryuu, "Hey, Ryuu. Get your errands done?"

"Almost," Ryuu replied. Sasha sat up from her original position and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Ryuu removed his shoes and sat down behind her. He wound his arms around her waist and spoke close to her ear, "So, did you think over my offer?"

She shuddered as she felt his hot breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and leaned back in his embrace, "Yeah, I wanna go on this date with you..."

Sasha had her eyes closed but she could practically hear the smirk on his face, "Good. Because on my way here I found a great dance club..."

Sasha inwardly groaned, she suddenly had a bad feeling about tonight.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I was searching my bag for something nice to wear, all the while thinking, 'Damn it! I knew I packed _something_ half decent for a date!'

'What about that black sleeveless Chinese tunic you packed?' Tony offered.

'And what else? I need pants to wear with them, and I can't wear my cargos...'

'You're right, they clash with "fanciness" of the shirt. What about those black jeans I made you buy the other day?'

'...Maybe...what about black slacks and a red sash?' I mused.

'Sounds good, try it,' And I tried it on. I liked the sleeveless shirt, though my tattoo kind of ruined the "fancy factor"...though I was always a rogue.

I stood and smoothed the material out and looked at myself through the vanity mirror. The black sleeveless shirt Tony had picked had silver tigers embroidered on it. All in all, I looked pretty damn cool.

I was laying on my bed, my hands behind my head, and zoning out when the bathroom door opened.

I sat up and was stunned. Before me stood...a goddess. Actually, it was only Sasha in a stunning outfit, but to me she resembled a goddess.

She wore a black handkerchief skirt and a red tank top that hugged her form _just_ right.Anda black see through shirt over that with a wide neck that hung off her shoulders. They looked like with only a little pull...they'd fall right off. Pretty much, she was showing just enough skin to make it feel like the temperature of the room had just shot up 20 degrees at _least_. And she had a silver necklace on, the one I had given her for her birthday last year, that had a silver kanji charm that stood for trust. (Me and Tony idly noted that the charm hung just above the crease of her breasts...)

I got up and stared for a few more seconds before I got my thoughts together and, looking her in the eyes, spoke my mind, "You...look absolutely...stunning."

Sasha blushed but didn't break eye contact, "Thanks, you don't look so bad either."

I smirked, "You won't be saying that later...anyway, ready to go?"

Sasha nodded and, linking arms, we headed out.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We approached the restaurant and waited to be seated. It was a quaint restaurant. Some place where we'd feel comfortable, not too over-dressed, not too under-dressed.We were seated at a booth off to the side of the restaurant near a large glass aquatic tank. (Oh, look at me now, "aquatic" that's a new 'smart' word. xD)

The waitress gave us our menus and left us to browse. In the mean time we talked. We did something similar to "20 questions". Sasha asked me a question. I would answer truthfully and in turn I would ask her a question that would make her flustered. Or at least, I hoped it would. (smile) I'm terrible.

"So, you have a crush on me?" Sasha asked.

"Yup," I didn't even look up from the menu, "We playing 20 questions?"

"Yeah, sure, so long as you answer my questions."

"No problem. Alright, shoot your next question."

"Why are you a pyromaniac?"

I lowered my menu just enough so she could see I was raising an eyebrow at her, "So I like to watch things burn, sue me. It keeps me occupied and only one or two people have ever gotten hurt because of it."

"Only one or two people?" Now it was Sasha raising an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged, "Matt just so happened to be near the car when I threw the molotav cocktail...And I still say it wasn't my fault I dropped Ryoga when I went to untie him that time!"

Sasha nodded, "Uh-huh, sure...and you didn't turn Mike into a pyro either."

"At least he isn't a pyromaniac."

"Good point. We only need one of you around," Sasha continued to browse her menu, "The sushi looks good..." (If you're wondering why Sasha knows what's on the menu, it's because they have pics of each dish listed.)

"Ick, never really liked Sushi much...so, you still a virgin?" I asked off-handedly.

Sasha sweatdropped...heavily, "Wha-what'd you ask?"

"I asked if you were still a virgin," Sasha blushed bright red, "Come now, I answered your question truthfully. Now you gotta answer mine truthfully."

Sasha sighed, "Damn you...fine...(mumble)"

I raised an eyebrow, "What was that? I couldn't hear you?"

"Yes...I'm still a virgin..." She answered in a voice so low I almost didn't catch it.

I smiled, "See now? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Sasha shook her head and I leaned in a bit, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm still a virgin too."

Sasha blushed but nodded, "Nice to know."

I smiled widely, "I know, isn't it just?"

Sasha looked at her menu once more and nodded, obviously finding something she wanted. I browsed the menu as well searching through it.

'What should I get...what should I get...?'

'Dunno really,' Tony answered, 'But that miso soup with a side of pork buns looks good.'

I shook my head, "Wierd ass tiger, man, wierd ass tiger..." I mumbled to myself.

"What'd you say?" sasha asked.

"Nothing, talking to myself."

Sasha nodded, "Now, my next question. How many girlfriends have you had in the past?"

I placed my menu down, giving in to Tony's demands of miso soup and pork buns, and looked Sasha in the eye, "Real girlfriends, right? Ones that I've had willingly?"

Sasha nodded. I turned my vision to watch the aquarium and thought back on my life.

"One."

"That's it? A handsom guy like you has only had one girlfriend?"

I smiled briefly and looked her way before staring at the tank again, "I wasn't always the psycotic, pyromaniac, skateboarding, martial artist, flirt you know now. I used to be shy. Never liked to talk until spoken to, violent..."

"Still are, you know."

"I know, now hush," Sasha got quiet, "It wasn't until I had met Sakura that I forced myself to learn manners..."

"And Sakura was your first girlfriend?" Sasha asked.

I nodded, a dark blue fish with black strips on it caught my attention and I followed it with my eyes, "Yeah, she was my first love too. It...it was a tragedy that seperated us..."

Sasha nodded and was about to ask more when the waitress approached. I ordered our food for us, since, as I mentioned before, I was the only one who could speak fluent Japanese. I nodded to her and asked my next question, "Ever have a wet dream?"

Sasha, while I was ordering our food, had been drinking from the glass of water in front of her. The question I had asked obviously was unexpected...becuase she spit her water out at me. I moved my head a few inches to the side, just narrowly avoiding getting wet.

'Damn, that was close. I hate water...' Tony said.

'For a spirit who had drowned in his original body, that's to be expected, Tony.'

'Shut up, Ryuu, just shut up.'

"...Yeah...usually when I go to sleepjust after a session of video games and flirting..."

I nodded and waited patiently for her next question.

"When...when you were answering my question from before, you said a tragedy had had seperated you two...what happened?" Sasha asked.

I sighed and looked back out towards the blue fish I had been tracking earlier, "She...was killed, in an accident. About 5 years ago when she was walking home from school."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Ryuu..."

I shook my head, "No, it's okay. I don't need pity over something that happened a long time ago. I'm over it, I still remember her, and I try to keep in touch with her parents, but we've gotten over her death..." I looked at her and smiled, "Besides, how can you grieve over someone for more than a month when they died with a smile on their face?"

"My turn now," I said, "Why did you live alone before I came around? I don't think I've heard you speak to your parents once since I moved in."

It was Sasha's turn to sigh and stare at the tank, for some reason it was relaxing, as if all our tension and stress could be released by staring into it's seemingly vast depths.

"I never knew my parents. I've been an orphan since as long as I could remember...Jon was an orphan too. He was my first friend and acted like an older brother."

I nodded, "Understandable. It explains why you seem so close to him."

"Yeah," Sasha nodded, "He used to live with me, back home, in that house. But he moved out saying something about premonitions and gut instincts."

I smiled, "I guess he was right then, huh?"

Sasha smiled and nodded. She was about to ask more when the Waitress came with our food.

'Oh! Miso soup! Pork buns! And it all smells so damned _good_!' Tony shouted with glee.

'The only solace I take in this is that this restaurant has always served good food and that they don't serve cereal.' I thought.

'Cereal! Where! Damn it, Ryuu! Don't mess with me like that!'

I chuckled and raised my chop sticks, which currently held a pork bun, "To an already excellent night of old memories relived and new ones to be made."

Sasha smiled and raised her chop sticks as well, currently holding a piece of duck from her meal, "Here, here!"

We smiled, we ate, we drank, we talked, we laughed, we had an awesome time. We left the restaurant in high spirits and headed out to the dance club I had selected for us to go to.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

"The Underworld?" Sasha asked as we approached the dance club. There was a long line waiting to get in and Sasha as about to move to stand on the line when I grabbed her hand and we kept walking.

"Yeah, Sakura's uncle Ryo owns the place. He's really cool, used to sneak us in every once and a while," I waved to thebouncer dudeand kept walking past him and around the side of the club.

"Hey, where're we going? The entrance is that way," Sasha said pointing back to the front of the club.

"I know. But I have a V.I.P. pass and my entrance is this way," I continued to drag her towards the side door and knocked several times in a specific pattern. A small piece of metal slid open to reveal a set of familiar blue eyes. I held up my pass and waited for the door to open.

"Password," The man on the other side of the door said.

"Ryo, if you don't let me in this instant I'm kicking it down."

"Ranma? Izzat you?" The voice asked.

"Who else would threaten the owner of Underworld and actually make true his threat?"

"The one and only Ranma Saotome!" The voice exclaimed before shutting the metal slide slid closed. The door opened to reveal a tall man with short spikey hair and sky blue eyes. He smiled widely at me.

"I thought Saori-san called you and told you that I changed my name?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"She did. Told me the whole story, too. But who can blame me? I'm afraid of change," Ryo said.

I laughed and pulled him into a brief (manly) hug, "Bullshit, Ryo! Your club changes themes once a week. And it's never the same more than once a year."

He laughed back and, I guess, finally noticed Sasha, "Yeah, yeah...so who's the girl, Ryuu?"

I stepped back and gestured to her, "This is my date, Sasha. Sasha, this Ryo Tsukino, owner of The Underworld dance club."

Ryo bowed, "Nice to meet you, Sasha-san."

Sasha bowed back and seemed to realize something, "Hey, why do you speak in English and not Japanese?"

Ryo shrugged, "It's easier to confuse people with English than it is with Japanese. Besides everyone who has access to this club has to know a fairly decent amount of English. At least if they want to understand the dance songs played."

"All the songs they play here you'd have to have heard of, considering all the songs played are usually from 105.3..." I added.

Sasha nodded, "So, can we go in and dance?"

I smiled and the 3 of us headed inside.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

Ryo had told us to go on ahead because he still had some business to take of. So that's how we ended up over by the bar.

"Yo, T.K.!" I shouted at the guy a few feet over.

The guy turned to look at me and smiled, "Hey, Ryuu! Dude, it's been awhile!" He shouted back at me, I laughed. I had stopped by before hand and reintroduced myself to the gang, of course Ryo had been out visiting Saori at the time...

T.K. was the bartender, and has always been the bartender for The Underworld for as long as I can remember. He had messy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, pretty unusual hair and eye color for an asian. But it suits him.

Sasha walked up beside me and T.K. smiled, "This the girl you were talking about before?" I nodded and he continued, "Nice to meet'cha, the name's T.K." Sasha smiled and shook his hand briefly, "Ryuu seemed awful excited about bringing you here, Sasha."

"And it seems he's told you all about me as well," Sasha said still smiling. I nodded, smiling

"Well, I think you should wait out drinking anything till you've at least started dancing, don't you?" T.K. offered.

I nodded and started walking towards the dance floor, "If you don't wanna party, then you should go home!" I shouted as loud as I could, which was pretty damned loud.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We spent the rest of the night just dancing and enjoying whatever drinks we could get, T.K. refused to give us anything alcohol.

'Might've been because of the last time he saw you drunk.'

Shut up, Tony. You _know_ it wasn't my fault that guy left his sake out on the bar where my water was supposed to be. Anyway, as I said, we spent the night dancing, losing ourselves in the music, and just enjoying ourselves. And after an hour and a half we even grinded a bit, _that_ was fun. (Smile) I'll never forget the feel of her body...(sigh)...

'Woah! Woah! Get a riegn on your imagination, Ryuu! I do _not_ need to see that shit!'

(Blush) Sorry, Tony.

We headed back to the hotel at about 11, we had a show tomorrow and we needed to be up earlier than 4 in the afternoon. We made it back to the hotel and into our beds at 12. All in all, it was an awesome night.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

I woke up the next morning...confused. I was half asleep and half awake. And my mind registered several facts while I tried to open my eyes.

Fact one: It was _very_ bright out. Fact two: There is another body laying beside me, (grope) female. Fact three: I am only wearing my boxers and the female beside me is only wearing a large t-shirt and (shift leg) panties. Fact four: The brightness hurts my eyes.

In an instant I was awake. Facts two and three forcing my consciousness awake. My eyes shot open and I looked over to my side. Next to me was Sasha lying fast asleep in a large blue t-shirt, almost 3 times too big, snuggled into my chest. My bare chest.

Fact two had my minds workings moving quite fast. I had just groped Sasha. Not good. But she was asleep, right? What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?

"I am _so_ dead..." I whispered as I tried to disentangle my arms from around Sasha without waking her. As I tried to silently make my way towards the bathroom a few more facts made themselves known.

I hadn't been sleeping in my bed. I had, somehow, crawled into Sasha's bed late last night. And I was only in my boxers...and I had been having some vivid dreams about us...I looked down briefly and found out that, yes, I still had some evidence of those dreams on me.

I shuddered, 'Thank the kami she's asleep...'

I silently closed the bathroom door and sighed, "Life can be a real ass kicker sometimes..." I washed my face and took a cold shower before taking a hot shower. As I did so I tried to recollect any memories from the previous night.

'I could've sworn every drink that T.K. gave us had been non-alcoholic...' I mused.

'Yup, they all _were_ non-alcoholic. But think of it this way, at least you didn't fuck her,' Tony said.

I rolled my eyes, "How blunt a statement."

'Yes, never was good at being sly.'

"That's saying a lot considering you're a tiger," I said grabbing the shampoo.

'Oh hush, you. But, you have to admit, I have a point.'

"I don't _have_ to admit anything, Tony."

'Whatever.'

"So, you have any idea what happened last night after me an' Sasha got back?"

'Yeah, you guys walked through the door, Sasha took a shower first, she came out in a large t-shirt and crawled into her bed, you took a shower and came out in your boxers. You stared at your bed for a few moments before finally deciding you'd rather sleep beside Sasha than in a cold bed alone.'

"Hmm...sounds like something I'd do...and the dreams?"

'Don't ask me, you hentai, I only mentioned whipped cream once...'

"I knew there was a reason almost every scene had the use of whipped cream in it for _some_ reason."

I spent the rest of my shower talking (cougharguingcough) with Tony. I exited the bathroom, in a clean pair of boxers, to find Sasha sitting on the edge of her bed, apparently deep in thought.

"Yen for your thoughts," I said sitting down beside her.

She looked over to me, "Did we..._do_ anything last night? Like..._it_?"

"Bed wet?" She shook her head, "Then we didn't do anything inappropriate."

"How...you know what, never mind, I don't want to know."

We were silent for a few minutes before I realized something.Smiling, I said, "You know, I never _did_ give you that good-night kiss..."

She blushed and nodded, "N-no, you didn't."

I leaned in close and lightly touched my lips to hers, when she didn't pull away I pressed my lips fully onto hers. And we kissed. Deeply. It was a whole two minutes before we were forced to seperate from lack of breath.

I smiled a bit wider, "Enjoy your belated 'good-night' kiss?"

She nodded, obviously still a bit dazed.

"Well, we should get dressed, we have to go to theconcert hall thingie and practise and shit."

She smiled and nodded, getting up to go take a shower.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

We headed out to the concert hall thingie and lazed around until everyone was there. We talked, practised, and talked some more.

It was around 6 in the afternoon when the hall was _packed_ with people. I snuck a look at the crowd and smiled as I scanned the crowds.

"I spy with my neko-ken enhanced vision," I whispered, "Saori-san, Akashi-kun, Ryo-kun, awesome, Xian made it..." I trailed off as I spotted a glimpse of a familiar head of brown hair, "Well, well, well! Look who's become a fan, now that was unexpected..."

I felt Jon grab my arm, "Hey, you ready to perform? We're on in a coupla minutes."

I nodded, took a deep breath, and smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be man, as ready as I'll ever be..."

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

"Hey, folks! Are you ready to listen to a band who's only just begun their tour!" The announcer shouted, after a huge applause and many screams he continued, "Well that's good to hear, because with me now, behind these giant curtains, are an excellent group of guys-"

"And girl!" Came a shout from behind the curtain.

"Yes, and girl, known as the group Misunderstanding Scars! And they're going to open up their act with a song called Vermilion Pt.2!" And the announcer ran off the stage as music began playing and the curtains started to rise.

_She seemed dressed in all of me  
__Stretched across my shame  
__All the torment and the pain  
__Leaked through and covered me  
__I'd do anything to have her to myself  
__Just to have her for myself_

_Now I don't know what to do  
__I don't know what to do  
__When she makes me sad_

_She is everything to me  
__The unrequited dream  
__A song that no one sings  
__The unattainable  
__She's a myth that I have to believe in  
__All I need to make it real is one more reason_

_I don't know what to do  
__I don't know what to do  
__When she makes me sad_

_But I won't let this build up inside of me  
__I won't let this build up inside of me  
__I won't let this build up inside of me  
__I won't let this build up inside of me_

_I catch in my throat  
__Choke  
__Torn into pieces  
__I won't - No  
__I don't want to be this_

_But I won't let this build up inside of me  
__(I won't let this build up inside of me)  
__I won't let this build up inside of me  
__(I won't let this build up inside of me)  
__I won't let this build up inside of me  
__(I won't let this build up inside of me)  
__I won't let this build up inside of me  
__(I won't let this build up inside of me)_

_Won't let this build up (Build up) inside of me (Inside of me)  
__Won't let this build up (Build up) inside of me (Inside of me)_

_She isn't real (I won't let this build up inside of me)  
__I can't make her real (I won't let this build up inside of me)_

_She isn't real (I won't let this build up inside of me)  
__I can't make her real (I won't let this build up inside of me)_

The song ended and Ryuu stepped up to mike, "Hey, folks! How're you all this evening?"

The crowd screamed.

Ryuu laughed and smiled his lady-killer smile, "That's great to hear. I'm sure you don't want to hear me talk, but rather, to hear me sing, because I'm good that way."

"Oh, shut up, Ryuu!" Mike said.

"Ryuu, your ego's showing," Sam said.

"What? Again? Man, I thought I tied it up before the show started..." Ryuu said.

Jon laughed, "Anyway, here's our next song, Evil."

The music started up again and Ryuu began singing.

_Rosemary  
__Heaven restores you in life  
__You're coming with me  
__Through the aging, the fear, and the strife_

_It's the smiling on the package  
__It's the faces in the sand  
__It's the thought that moves you upwards  
__Embracing me with two hands  
__Right will take you places  
__Yeah, maybe to the beach  
__When your friends say you come crying  
__Tell them now, your pleasure's set upon slow release_

_They wait  
__They smile  
__Sensitive to fake nods  
__Right on  
__But, hey, who's on trial?_

_You took a lifespan with no cellmate  
__A long way back saying, "Me, why can't we look the other way?"_

_He speaks about travel  
__Yeah we think about the land  
__We are smart like all peoples feeling real tan  
__I could take you places  
__But you need a new man?  
__Wipe the pollen from the faces  
__Make me vision to a dream while you wait in the van_

_Anyway  
__They smile  
__Sensitive to fake nods  
__But, hey, who's on trial?_

_It took a lifespan with no cellmate  
__But a long way back saying, "Me, why can't we look the other way?"  
__You're weightless  
__You are exotic  
__You need something for which to care  
__Saying, "Me, why can't we look the other way?"_

_Leave some shards under the belly  
__Lay some grease inside my hand  
__It's sentimental jury  
__And the makings of a good plan  
__You've come to love me like me  
__Yeah you've come to hold me tight  
__Is this motion everlasting  
__Or do the shudders pass in the night?_

_Rosemary  
__Our heaven restores you in life_

_I've spent a lifespan with no cellmate  
__A long way back saying, "Me, why can't we look the other way?"  
__You're weightless  
__Semi-erotic  
__You need someone to take you there  
__Saying, "Me, why can't we look the other way?  
__Why can't we just play the other game?  
__Why can't we just look the other way?"_

The music faded once more and Ryuu spoke into the mike, "Our next song is something new, something we haven't even played back home at our local bar. Now, since we've got about 2 minutes before we have to actually play our song, I'll give you a bit of background on why I wrote this song."

Sam sighed heavily, "Sit back, relax, and try not to fall asleep."

Ryuu glared at her briefly before turning back to the crowd, "Since _certain_ people obviously don't care, I'll just give you a _brief_ review of why it was written. Now, as I'm sure some of you know, I was originally born in Japan, Juuban to be precise. I had been living with a family friend for about 2 years and had just split up with my fiancee. I left and was disowned by my mother. I was in a state of depression that did not disappear until about a year later, maybe longer."

"To make a long story short, the song's dedicated to the people he once thought were friends."

"Thank you for that insight, Mike."

"No prob."

Ryuu sighed and then smiled at the crowd, "Now you know some of my background, so now you can fully enjoy the song, and meaning behind it, Stockholm Syndrome."

_This is the first (Thing I remember)  
__Now it's the last (Thing left on my mind)  
__Afraid of the dark (Do you hear me whisper)  
__An empty heart (Replaced with paranoia)  
__Where do we go (Life's temporary)  
__After we're gone (Like new years resolutions)  
__Why is this hard (Do you recognize me)  
__I know I'm wrong (But I can't help believing)_

_I'm so lost  
__I'm barely here  
__I wish I could explain myself  
__But words escape me  
__It's too late  
__To save me  
__You're too late  
__You're too late_

_You're cold with disappointment  
__While I'm drowning in the next room  
__The last contagious victim of this plague between us  
__I'm sick with apprehension  
__I'm crippled from exhaustion  
__And I dread the moment when you finally come to kill me_

_This is the first (Thing I remember)  
__Now it's the last (Thing left on my mind)  
__Afraid of the dark (Do you hear me whisper)  
__An empty heart (Replaced with paranoia)  
__Where do we go (Life's temporary)  
__After we're gone (Like new years resolutions)  
__Why is this hard (Do you recognize me)  
__I know I'm wrong (But I can't help believing)_

Ryuu smiled at the cheering they were recieving, and was amused that the brown haired familiar of his was also one of the many screaming his name. (The irony of life, ne?) He looked back at the band and they were smiling as well.

Everytime they played they seemed to get a _huge_ adrenaline rush. To some, that'd be a good thing, for those who know Ryuu and Mike...well, let's just say many things shall go boom tonight.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

They bid the crowd farewell, with a few choice words to make them laugh before the next band went out to perform. They were later joined up by Sasha and Xian. Saori, Akashi, and Ryo couldn't get backstage passes. (Which was partially Ryuu's fault. (Ryuu: But they were sold out!) Excuses, excuses... -.-)

"Xian! Long time no see!" Ryuu said walking over and giving Xian a short hug.

"Shampoo see Ryuu and band do too too good on flashy stage," Xian had a wide smile as everyone just stared at her funny, "I said that Ryuu and you guys did great out on stage."

Everyone nodded, not so sure, but Jon couldn't help himself, he walked up and grabbed Xian in a big hug.

"Missed you, Xian," Jon mumbled.

"Missed you too, Jon," Xian mumbled right back.

"Aw, lookit the love birds!" Ryuu laughed.

Sasha mock punched him, "Like you should talk," That's about as far as she got before Ryuu's lips sealed her mouth shut for a few minutes.

Ryuu smirked as he pulled away, "I swear, everytime I kiss you it gets better _and_ we can hold it longer, too."

Sasha simply blushed and looked down at the floor.

The rest of the night, suprisingly enough, went by pretty uneventful. They all talked and had fun hanging out with each other. By the end of the night Jon had walked Xian to her hotel, Mike was passed out on his bed, Sam was fast asleep in her bed, and Ryuu went to bed with Sasha beside him and fell asleep within minutes.

(-(-(-(-)-)-)-)

The next day we headed out to Hiroshima late in the afternoon. I got Saori's address and promised to keep in touch. And Ryo sent me away with his address as well, with another promise to keep in touch and to visit his niece when we hit Juuban.

'Anything happen between you and Sasha?'

No, Tony, we did not. Now get your damned mind out of the gutter so we can end today's chapter.

'Whatever...'

Don't hate me because I can touch things and you can't.

'That sounded _so_ wrong...'

(Blink-blink) Wow, you're right, it did..._any_way. What did we learn today? Tony?

'Well, for one, we learned that you, Ryuu, have a whipped cream fetish.'

(Twitch)

'Another fact that I'd like to point out is that we have discovered that a brown-haired young woman from Nerima is a fan of the band, that she will be following them around their tour, and her name happens to be-'

(Tackles Tony and slaps hand over mouth.) Tony! Shut up!

'(Incoherent mumbling)(Growl)'

Ow, you fucktart! You bit me! (Tackles Tony again)

(The following scene has been censored for the safety of the readers. Also because the rating is only PG-13 and the violence this one scene would hold would shoot that to a R rating. So instead of trying to imagine Ryuu and Tony in a bloody and violent brawl containing the use of ki claws and other various weapons, imagine Ryuu and Sasha..oh wait, that wouldn't be any better...uh...just imagine...a bunch of stoned squirrels moshing at a System of a Down concert. Because System of a Down is cool and...cute puppies frolicking through fields don't quitecut it for me.)

To Be Continued...

A/N:  
I am _soooo_ sorry for the long wait, you guys! I really am. It's just that school sucks and, as I pointed out last time, I'm easily distracted when I'm anywhere near a computer with internet access. So all I have to say is, please review and send in your comments. All comments are accepted and paid attention to. Only the flames are used to fend off evil and maniacal squirrels. Until next time! Bye!

Press

That

Damned

Purpilish

Button!


	10. Ancient Male Torture Technique

A/N:  
Despite popular belief, _no_, I have _not_ abandoned this story. I was just getting over a pretty large case of writer's block. I finally told Ryuu to stop trying to punch through the block and use his neko-ken claws. So I'm back! Yays! It's funny though. When I get writer's block it's different from other people, instead of just hitting a dead end in my story, I get ideas for other stories...which explains the other stories I have sitting on hold...

_**Reviews  
**_**crazylittlebrat- Ha! I updated. :)**

**DelShalDar- Lol. Yes, exploding is definately better. But it only works if you can run away fast enough...**

**Tsamoka- I updated! Don't die on me!**

**Ghost of Sorrow- I'm glad you think so.**

**Expired Donuts- You're right, it's one of the girls you named.**

**BlueHaru- Alright, I updated mine, now you have to update yours!**

**Shad3ofFear- I updated! Yay!**

**chaumiester- Chapter 11 is out today. The others are still a mystery. Oh, don't worry, there _will_ be bitch slapping. Though I doubt Ryuu'll be doing the slapping.**

**Daniel Shinigami- Dude...Maybe when you update your Flux Corps fic.**

**Master Chaos- Thanks for reviewing.**

**Taiki- Here's more!**

**Ryan L. Spradling- You're dead set on this keyboard thing, aren't you? I'll try and fit it in next chapter alright?**

**Draven026- Thanks for reviewing.**

**Light02- Oh, you think it was Kasumi, huh? You're the first to outright say it was someone instead of multiple people.**

**nea- I'm glad you enjoy this fic so much. It's really suprising what you find when you really get desperate for a good fic.**

**Batanga- Thank you for reviewing.**

**Wonderbee31- Wonder who you thought it was...?**

**Reaper2040- I didn't even think of that...I'm going to use that...Oh, and don't worry about my going crazy with the crossover thing. It's only going to have a brief SM scene, but that's about it. Pyro is excellent.**

**Aquarius Star- Actually I asked a friend what the bartender should look like and what would his/her name be. I didn't realize T.K. was from Digimon until after I finished the chapter...But yeah, he's from Digimon...I guess.**

**Goku905041- Nabiki and Ukyo had brown hair as well.**

**ranma hibiki- Thank you. Squirrels are evil.**

**Darkepyon- Thanks for reviewing.**

**Ryo's destiny- Smals, what the hell did you expect? This is me we're talking about. And yes, the truth was...interesting to say the least.**

Quick note! Thoughts are now in italics unless otherwise noted. Thank you.

The Ancient Male Torture Technique

Alright. So last time I left you all, I was arguing with Tony, right? ...Right. Okay. Alright well, I'd tell you about our trip to Hiroshima, but in short, all I did was teach the guys, and girls, how to speak Japanese. Why? Because we can't afford to bail Mike out of jail again without ending up deported.

Anyway, so here we are. The busiest city in Japan. Tokyo. Also a city I myself have always preffered to avoid. Again, why? Because it's the city most famous for the numerous stores. In my opinion, Tokyo is the center of an ancient technique all women know; the ancient technique of male torture. Shopping.

This is the story of Mike, Jon, and I, as we are tortured beyond our own comprehension.

_Though that truly isn't saying much._

(-)

It was an hour after we got off the plane. I was suffering from jet-lag, for some reason, and now Sasha was dragging me to go shopping. In some strange twist of coincidence, Mike and Jon were doomed to my fate as well. Jon was being dragged by Xian. And Mike by Sam.

"Let's go here!" Sam yelled pointing at a clothes store. I just groaned, an action copied by Mike and Jon.

"Can't we at least sign into the hotel?" I asked, "They may give away our rooms."

Sasha shook her head, "We told Robert to take care of it for us while you went to get our bags." And then she proceeded to drag me towards the store Sam had pointed out.

I groaned again, mumbling, "Damn it. The Kami have sick and twisted senses of humor..."

We spent about an hour in that store before heading to another, and another, and another, and then, guess what? We went to another store! Can you sense the sarcasm yet?

Mike and Jon stood nearby as we happened to pass a bookstore and go into it. Much to my relief. It was finally a store I could find something to enjoy, like grab the newest books of DNAngel and Tsubasa...

"Ryuu? What're you doing?" Mike asked.

I looked over at him and answered him, "I'm updating my manga collection. You mind?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I do mind," I cracked my knuckles and slowly approached him, "On the other hand, I can deal with it. I don't mind..."

I nodded in satisfaction and, grabbing the books, walked over to the register and bought my books. We walked out of the store and waited for the girls to buy what they wanted. I was hoping Sasha would buy those Ceres mangas. I'd always had a soft spot for Yu Watase's work, shoujo or not, it was good stuff.

Anyway, we sat on a bench outside the store and stayed there bored out of our minds. Well, Mike and Jon were bored, I had Tony, so I was just annoyed.

_I resent that._

We sat there for another hour or so waiting for the girls. Eventually they came back to get us and we headed back to the hotel.

(-)

And, actually, not much really happened in Tokyo either. Besides the shopping and the concert there was nothing else to do. So we sat around the hotel and wrote songs while adding lyrics to'em.

At the concert I saw my "brown-haired" familiar. I still find it strange that she's a fan of our music. I give her credit though, she's got taste. (smile)

So, here we are, sitting on a plane headed to Juuban. And I'm teaching my bandmates and Sasha how to better operate in Japan.

...Damn it...my ass is cramping...

(-)

A/N: Now, I could simply end the chapter here... (Leans back in chair and peeks outside window to see Ryo's destiny with a sharp looking axe, that looks a bit too big for her, in her hands.) But I enjoy walking among the living. So enjoy.

(-)

Fancy Meeting You Here

"God damned jetlag..." Ryuu mumbled as he stumbled off the plane, "I don't get it!"

"Get what?" Mike asked.

"I don't get how I can get away with no jetlag on the plane ride here in Japan and then Osaka. But as soon as we hit Juuban, I get jetlag!"

"Gods have a twisted sense of humor," Jon said shrugging.

"So much for enjoying a jetlag free day..."

"Oh, stop complaining, Ryuu! You've had worse!" Sasha said trying to cheer Ryuu up.

"Yeah, much worse! Like that time I accidently lit your boxers on fire!" Mike exclaimed.

Ryuu sneered, "Oh yeah, much worse than jetlag. Considering I was still _wearing_ my fucking boxers!"

"If you weren't a guy, I'd say you were suffering from that time of month," Sam quipped.

Ryuu sighed, "Today I hate you," he points to Mike, then Sam, "You," then Jon, "You," and then throws his hand up in the air, "I hate the whole fucking world today!"

"You're in a good mood today, huh?" Sasha raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I'm just one big fucking ray sunshine..."

(-)

Yeah, I wasn't the happiest of people that day. But I have to say, I was happier the next morning after several cups of coffee. Specially considering I had beaten Mike to an, almost, bloody pulp the previous night. It was a good way to vent my anger. (Smile)

(-)

I stretched and yawned as I waited for my coffee at the hotel's cafe. Sasha had just woken up when I left and she said she'd meet me down here. So here I am. waiting impatiently for Sasha to get her ass down here.

"Damn my lack of patience outside of the martial arts..." I mumbled. I thanked the waitress as she refilled my mug for my third cup of coffee.

I went over a list of what I was going to do today, _Wait for Sasha to join me for breakfast. Go visit Ryo-kun's niece. Visit mom. And catch up on the times with her...yep, that's it._

_What a boring way to spend your day off before the concert._

_Shut up, Tony...oh, look, here comes Sasha._ I waved at her and handed her my menu as she sat down.

"Wait long?" She asked me.

I smiled, "No comment."

"Smart man."

(-)

We ate breakfast and headed out to find out where Ryo-kun's niece lived. It didn't take too long after I convinced Sasha that it was, in fact, safe to hop from roof to roof. We still had to jump down after we found the street, but hey, that's besides the point.

(-)

"Hmm...lesse...249...251...here we are, house 253," I looked up at the large two story house.

"Do all of Ryo's relatives have two story houses?" Sasha asked, also looking up at the house.

I nodded, "Yeah," then started walking towards the front door with Sasha in tow. Knocking on the door we waited patiently.

It was a few moments later that the door opened to reveal a small boy of about 8 with blue hair smiling up at us.

I smiled back, "Hey kid, is Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino home?"

He nodded, "Hai, hold on a minute," he ran inside and returned a few minutes later with a blonde haired woman and a blue haired man.

I bowed, "My name's Mouko Ryuu, this is my girlfriend Metsuretsu Sasha. I came here hoping to meet Ryo-kun's brother and niece," I jerked a thumb at Sasha, "She's here because I made her come with me."

The man bowed, "My name is Riku and this is my wife, Rika. Please come in."

I nodded and smiled as me and Sasha were let into the house, "Thank you."

Riku nodded and Rika went to make some tea.

"So, how do you know my brother, Ryo?" Riku asked.

I smiled sadly, "I met him through Saori. I was dating Sakura-chan at the time."

Riku nodded sadly and Rika returned with the tea, "You were that young boy who stood next to Saori at the funeral?"

I nodded just as a teenager a couple years younger than me came down the stairs. She had long blonde hair put up into pigtails and she was wearing a skirt and t-shirt.

Meet Tsukino Usagi. Daughter to Riku and Rika Tsukino. Usagi is just a normal high school girl trying to pass her classes. Oh, but she's more than that, much more.

...She's also a rabid Misunderstanding Scars fan.

She saw me and started talking extremely fast, "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!You'retheleadsingerofthebandMisunderstandingScars!Meandmyfriendsloveyourband!CanIhaveyourautograph?"

Once I placed spaces in all the right places I raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Uh, sure." She pulled a manga book from somewhere and handed it to me with a permanent marker. I signed the book and handed it back to her.

Riku sweatdropped, "I'm sorry for Usagi's behavior. She gets like that when she's excited."

I laughed, "I noticed."

Usagi sat down and we all talked for a little bit. Usagi's face suddenly lit up with an idea.

"Hey, Ryuu-kun? Will you come with me to meet my friends?" Usagi asked.

I looked at Sasha, "You mind if we go?"

She shook her head, "You can go, I'm going to head back to the hotel and make sure Sam didn't beat Mike into a bloody pulp while we were gone."

I nodded, "Alright, in the mean time," I turned to Usagi and smiled, "I'll head out with you and go meet your friends. A little visit can't hurt."

Kami, I had never been more _wrong_ in my life.

(-)

Me and Usagi walked to where ever it was she was meeting her friends and we talked about little things of no consequence. She eventually led me to a shinto shrine.

"Hino Shrine...friend of yours work here?" I ask.

Usagi nodded, "Yep, my friend, Rei, works here but her grandfather also owns the shrine."

"oOo...okay, I get it now...we goin' in?"

"Well, yeah, but you're going to wait outside until I call you in, that work for you?" Usagi asked.

I nodded, "Yeah sure, whatever floats your boat."

We walked up the stairs and I smiled as I watched the sakura blossoms blow in the wind around us. We stopped outside a decent sized shrine, it seemed big enough to fit at least fifteen people with some room left over.

She skipped inside and I looked around, admiring the view from the top of the stairs. I idly wondered why they made so many shrines on top of hills with so many stairs...It's a mystery to me, that's for sure.

Several minutes passed before Usagi's head popped into view from the sliding doors.

"They ready for me, Usagi?" I asked.

She nodded with a large smile on her face and I casually strolled in through the doors. What met me was dead silence.

I looked around, "Tough crowd, huh?"

_They seem to be in shock._ I heard Tony say.

_No shit sherlock._ I shrugged, "Let me know when they get out of their shock induced stupor. In the meantime I'll be outside messing with my lighter."

Usagi absentmindedly nodded and tried to snap her friends out of it. I, in the meantime, went outside and sat down next to the door and leaned against the wall. I'd watched too much anime to not try and manipulate fire. I'd always wanted to make fireballs...

I took out my lighter and opened it, enforcing the fire with my ki and shaping it into a ball. I tried moving it around and only got several inches before a stray leaf made it explode on contact.

I sighed, "This is going to take some time," I peeked in the door and saw only three girls moving besides Usagi. One had short blue hair that reminded me of Akane (shudder), another had short black hair that came down to her shoulders, and the other had an aqua marine type color hair that looked to go down to the middle of her shoulder blades.

I leaned back and continued messing with my lighter. A couple minutes later I was clocked on the head from above by an acorn.

"Fucking A', I swear it's a consipracy," I said as I made another fireball and lunged it at the nearest squirrel.

The shoji doors slid open and I lost my concentration...accidently blowing up the fireball and incinerating a nearby bird.

I scratched the back of my head as I stood up, "Eheh...heh...uh...oops?"

I turned to my side and smiled a lop sided grin at the girls that came outside, "My name's Mouko Ryuu. Sorry 'bout this." What can I say? Old habits die hard.

(-)

I was sitting against the wall inside the shrine. Across from me was the entire group I'd come here to meet. And no one was saying anything.

The silence was getting to me and everytime I saw that damned black cat I flinched. I finally decided that the silence needed to die...a slow painful death.

"So...Anyone wanna introduce themselves?" Okay, so it wasn't a slow and painful death for the silence, but it was still a death.

The woman with the aqua marine colored hair was the first to introduce herself, "My name is Michiru. The woman beside me is Haruka and sitting in front of us is Hotaru."

I nodded and made a mental note. _Tomboy is Haruka. Frail looking one is Hotaru._

The one with long blonde hair was next, "My name's Minako."

"Makoto," The one with long brown hair simply said.

"I'm Amy," The Akane replica said.

I turned to the one with long black hair, "I guess that makes you Rei, correct?"

Rei nodded, "Yes, how'd you know?"

"You seemed like the type to work at a shrine. You have more ki control than the others."

Rei nodded slowly and Makoto jumped in, "Ki? Do you know martial arts?"

I smiled sadly, "Know it? I used to live the arts."

"Used to?" Ami asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, used to. I'm not as obsessed as I once was. Getting away from my Pops helped a lot in that."

Haruka slowly nodded, "Yeah, I've heard of you. I read an article about you in a magazine...it said something about your being disowned and taking up the name you have now. You're one of the best skateboarders on record who's never been in a tournament."

I scratched the back of my head and replied, "Well, yeah...I don't like to brag...but if I do something I do it well. I commit myself to what I do. That's why I'm the best. Though skateboarding's only a hobby..."

Usagi's eyes brightened as she seemed to remember something, "Oh, guys look at this, I got his autograph!" She exclaimed as she pulled the book I'd signed out to show the girls.

The girls seemed excited about that but Rei just developed an eyetwitch.

"Something wrong, Rei-san?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yes, something's wrong. That's my favorite manga that you signed."

My eyes widened a bit, "That was your manga?" I knew how protective someone could be of their manga. I was protective of my manga to the _extreme_. I had a simple touch-and-die rule for anyone who entered my room. Hell, they were stored in a fire-proof cabinet!

"So...what would you normally do when Usagi-san takes your manga?"

"Beat her over the head."

I nodded, "That's cool. I'd watch but I have someplace to be. When you're friends stop ogling my signature tell 'em I said bye," I opened the shoji doors, "Later."

Rei nodded and gave me a quick smile before scowling and approaching Usagi. I just shut the shoji doors when a yell reached my ears.

"Usagi no baka!" I shook my head, _Now, where've I heard something like that before?_ I walked foward and acted like I had no idea what the hell was going on.

I was walking towards the shrine stairs when I heard another yell. It was a wierd thing to yell out too...

"Dead Scream!"

(-)

"Dead Scream!"

Ryuu turned in time to see the blast. As his shirt fluttered to the ground in rags he reappeared in a tree in a branch. He was now only in his black cargos. He looked down at his attacker and noted three things.

_Okay, fact one; crazy bitch with long dark green hair and creepy red eyes is trying to kill me. Fact two; I know those creepy red eyes from somewhere, but can't place them at the moment. Fact Three; She ruined my favorite shirt. Conclusion; This is war._

He stood up on the branch and called down to the dark haired woman, "Okay, before I come down there and beat your ass for ruining my shirt tell me two things. Who are you? And why are you trying to kill me?"

The woman spun her staff, which looked like a badly made key, and stood proud and seemed very confident.

_Reminds me of me when I was an arrogant little shit...oh wait, I'm _still_ an arrogant shit. Nevermind. Hold on...I know that key/staff thingy from somewhere...holy shit!_

"Never mind, I know who you are Sailor Pluto. But why do you want to kill me? Am I 'a threat to the new Crystal Tokyo'?" He said mockingly.

"Actually, yes. I can't see anything of your past, present, or future. I really can't see anything _about_ you. And because of that, you must be eliminated." Pluto replied calmly.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "Wow. You're serious about this shit aren't you?"

Pluto didn't waste anymore time talking and moved to blast him again. By this time the girls had heard the commotion outside and before going to investigate, upon hearing Pluto's signature attack, changed into the senshi.

They'd heard most of the short conversation. But only Ami made sense of Pluto's reasoning, and only just barely.

They watched as Ryuu jumped around the attacks so easily it seemed like a game to him.

Uranus' eyes widened gradually as she watched, "He's almost as good as that Saotome character who was in Nerima a few years ago."

Ryuu had heard the comment and took the time to strike Pluto quickly in a shiatsu point, paralyzing her for several minutes.

"Actually you're wrong with the Saotome comment," Ryuu said appearing beside Haruka, "I'm not almost as good as him. I'm _better_."

"And why do you say that?" Makoto asked. She was a fan of Ranma's when he'd been around and she still was, she'd been a bit sad when he disappeared. Now here was this guy _insulting_ him. How rude!

Ryuu simply smirked, "Do you know what my name was before I was disowned? My birth name?" He smirked a wider as he turned his back on them and began walking towards Pluto. The paralysis point was going to start wearing off soon, "It was Ranma. Saotome Ranma."

He approached Pluto and looked her in the eye, "You remember me, don't you? I kicked the ass of that youma on my way to my mother's house a couple years back. You know, that one you were all have trouble with?" Her eyes widened a bit.

"I see the lightbulb has clicked," He patted her cheek reassuringly at the fear in her eyes, "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I won't do anything to stop your little Crystal Tokyo vendetta."

He started walking down the shrne stairs with his back to them, "Besides, if I had wanted to stop your 'quest for the perfect kingdom', you'd have known about me long ago. Those negaverse dudes don't know shit, you want a job done, you gotta do it yourself." Ryuu said, "I was holding back when I fought that youma and I literally obliterated it. Imagine what I'd be like if I _didn't_ play nice and stopped holding back." Those were his parting words as he disappeared below the stairs.

(-)

I left the shrine and headed in the direction of my mom's house.

_Think maybe you over did it?_ I heard Tony ask.

_Hell no. They ruined my shirt._ I replied grabbing another shirt out of sub-space. It was a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off. It said, "Smiling on the outside - Beserk on the inside"

_You could've just grabbed another one from sub-space._ Tony said.

_True, but then I'd have girls trying to destroy my shirts all the time. I can't have that. I have a lot of shirts, but I _don't_ have an unlimited amount, you know._ I spotted the familiar house, "Wonder why I never realized how close Mom lived to a shrine...?"

_Because you were an idiot, oblivious to everything outside martial arts._

"How true..." I said as I continued through the gate. I rang the doorbell and was greeted two moments later by Mom. I was setting the tea in a platter when she recieved a phone call.

"Hello?...Oh, hello, Kasumi-chan!..Yes...Actually, he paid me a suprise visit, he's here right now. Would you like to come over?...That'd be great."

I brought the tea into the tea room and sat down with a cup, listening to the conversation.

Mom turned to me, "She says Akane overheard her and wants to come. Is it alright if she comes, son?"

I thought about it for a second...two seconds...three seconds...

_You could always just go tiger and pretend you're your mother's pet or something_ Tony offered.

I smiled...That could work...I nodded to Mom, "Yeah, let her come."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

I nodded again and gave her a feral smile, "Yes."

(-)

There was a knock on the door and I quickly went tiger. It had taken a few times before Mom was accustomed to the change, but she'd gotten used to it and now took it in stride.

She opened the door and I heard her conversing with Kasumi and Akane. When she returned she was frowning and I saw why when Akane walked in. She was holding Pchan.

Mom sat down in her usual spot. I was laying on my stomach next to her seat. Kasumi and Akane seemed shocked to see a tiger in the tea room. Kasumi knew about the curse, I'd told them about it in my letters, and was the first to recover and took a seat across from Mom and next to me.

I sat up and seemed to be sitting at the table with them. Kasumi pet my head for a greeting, I think I purred, I'm not sure. And Akane sat beside Kasumi. Everyone sat in silence for a bit before Mom broke it.

"So how have you two been?" She asked.

Kasumi nodded, "Things have been doing well."

Akane shrugged, "They've been okay I guess."

"Okay? Things with you and Ryoga not working out?" Mom asked.

Akane hesitated, "If I put Pchan down, will your tiger eat him?"

Mom seemed to look at me as if debating the pros and cons of letting me eat the lil' fucker. She turned back to Akane, "I don't believe Ryuu will do any such thing, will you?"

I grunted in response, _Ain't gonna eat 'im. But it doesn't mean I'm not going to mess with him._

Akane nodded, albeit hesitantly, and put the pig down beside her. She started talking again, "Ryoga's gone so often I don't know what to do. I mean, if I got pregnant or something and he wasn't there, I don't know if I could handle that on my own..."

I slowly slinked my way around the table. Making my way around Kasumi and slowly towards Akane.

"You probably should've thought about that before, have you been using protection?" Mom asked.

From what I could see behind her she nodded, "I'm also on the pill. He doesn't want me to get pregnant. But I want kids."

I slowly came up behind Pchan and readied myself for the pounce.

"Akane, are you sure you want kids?" Kasumi asked her.

"Yes. I'm positive."

My tail moved back and forth and I waited for the pig to turn around. As he slowly turned around his eyes widened and I showed him my many shiny, white, sharp teeth. He started to do his little "bu-kwee" thing but I pounced before he finished and started batting him around like a ball of yarn.

Kasumi and Mom watched me while they tried not to laugh aloud. Akane just watched me in a mixture of horror and anger. If I could read minds I believe her thoughts would be a mixture of, "Ohmigod! I hope he doesn't hurt Pchan!" and "How dare that stupid, over-grown cat do that!"

I batted him high into the air, flipped onto my feet, grabbed Pchan by the bandanna in my teeth, and ran into the backyard before jumping onto the roof.

I changed back to my original form and watched as Ryoga's eyes enlarged. I grabbed his bandanna and shoved it into his mouth, "Quiet, you pest," I hissed.

I glared at him, "You have a lot of guts coming to my mother's house, Ryoga."

Ryoga narrowed his eyes and tried to "bu-kwee" in response but failed because of the bandanna. I smirked, "At a loss for words?"

He narrowed his eyes further, "You should be, I have every right to bring you back inside and expose you for the little traitorous fucker you are." His eyes widened again, this time in fear, "But I'm not going to...yet." He was relaxing a little until I said that last part.

"Because I hate your guts. And I want you to suffer, I'm going to punt you far, far away. With any luck it'll be somewhere with dangerous animals that eat pigs." I sneered.

I stood up and kicked him as hard as I could. He flew off quickly into the distance. I dusted off my hands and crouched down again before leaving a small note on Mom's back door with two front row tickets and backstage passes.

(-)

Ryoga found himself landing atop an airplane heading towards the states. He wanted to get down but decided he'd wait a while. A good thing he'd discovered was that the bandanna in his mouth had fallen out during his flight. He turned around in a circle and...found himself standing on a porch somewhere.

He looked around and stepped off the porch and onto the soft green grass...that was crawling with fire ants.

"Bu-kwee!" _Ranma this is all your fault!_

(-)

Ryuu walked down the road and headed towards the hotel. _Maybe Robert's in his room. I need to talk to him about something..._

(-)

I knocked on the door and waited for it to open. It opened a moment later to show Robert in tan khakis and a baggy white t-shirt with "Mike's Place" across the front.

"Wow, this is a real vacation for you isn't it?" I asked.

"You bet your ass. Now what can I do for you?" He asked turning around and letting me in.

"I need you to pull a few favors over at the stadium we're playing at tonight."

Robert raised an eyebrow at me and I explained, "I want to see," I handed him a picture of my "brown-haired" familiar, "If she bought any tickets."

Robert nodded and told me to make myself at home while he made a few calls. So I grabbed a soda from his fridge and flopped onto his bed.

Twenty minutes later he had the results for me, "Yeah. She bought a ticket. Why?"

I ignored his question, "Do you remember the seat and row she's going to be in?"

He nodded, "Yeah, she got a ticket somewhere in the middle. I wrote down the exact seating."

"Good. Two more things...do we have an extra backstage pass?" Robert nodded and I continued, "And do you think you could raffle off that pass to that exact seat while making it look like it was an actual raffle and not rigged?"

Robert nodded, "I think I can manage all of this. But why do you need it done?"

I stood and headed towards the door, with the soda still in my hand, I turned to him right before I left, "I have some unfinished business from my past that needs tending to." And I left.

(-)

I walked into the room I shared with Sasha and laid down on the bed. Sasha wasn't back from checking on Mike, meaning she was probably happily chatting with Sam while Mike's twitching on the floor.

_I hope you know what you're doing, Ryuu._ Tony said to me.

I closed my eyes and saw him sitting next to me, _I know what I'm doing...sort of._

Tony shook his head,_ May the Kami help us all._

_I just don't want to leave any loose ends, Tony. _I paused and opened my eyes in time to see Sasha walk into the room, _The last thing I want is for Sasha or one of the others to get hurt because of me._

(-)

We all stood off to the side of the stage while the band before us played their last song. I turned to the guys, "You all ready for the concert? Is anyone nervous?...Does anyone have my soda?"

Sasha laughed and handed me a soda, "You'll all do fine. Just like the rest of your concerts."

The other band finished and called a ten-fifteen minute break so we could set up our equipment. We only used ten minutes to set up everything.

I stepped up to the mike and waved to the crowd, "How are all of you tonight?"

There was a loud cheer and I smiled, "Glad to hear. Now let's go straight to our first song tonight." The music started up and I began singing.

_All wound up  
__On the edge  
__Terrified_

_Sleep disturbed  
__Restless mind  
__Petrified_

_Bouts of fear  
__Permeate  
__All I see_

_Heightening  
__Nervousness  
__Threatens me_

_I am paralyzed  
__So afraid to see_

_Caught off guard  
__Warning signs  
__Never show_

_Tension strikes  
__Choking me  
__Worries grow_

_Why do I feel so numb  
__Is it something to do with where I come from  
__Should this be fight or flight  
__I don't know why I'm constantly so uptight_

_Rapid heartbeat pounding through my chest  
__Agitated body in distress  
__I feel like I'm in danger  
__Daily life is strangled by stress_

_A stifling surge  
__Shooting through all my veins  
__Extreme apprehension  
__Suddenly I'm insane_

_Lost all hope for redemption  
__A grave situation desperate at best_

_Why do I feel so numb  
__Is it something to do with where I come from  
__Should this be fight or flight  
__I don't know why I'm constantly reeling_

_Helpless hysteria  
__A false sense of urgency  
__Trapped in my phobia  
__Posessed by anxiety_

_Run  
__Try to hide  
__Overwhelmed by this complex delirium_

_Helpless hystreia  
__A false sense of urgency  
__Trapped in my phobia  
__Posessed by anxiety_

_Run  
__Try to hide  
__Overwhelmed by this complex delirium_

The music faded as I finished the lyrics and everything was silent while I drank some of my soda. The music started up again and I whispered into the mike, "My Mistress."

A couple beats later and the actual song started up.

_I stand on the brink of your mind  
__Living inside a nightmare from which  
__I just cannot awaken  
__Stand on the edge of your life  
__Just give me another moment  
__From which I will never awaken_

_Stand on the brink of my own demise  
__Fallen again for another  
__Mistress of burden  
__To idolize  
__Hoping that one of them will decide  
__To let me in_

_My mistress_

_I stand on the edge of the knife  
__Cutting through the nightmare from which  
__I just cannot awaken  
__Stand on the edge of a knife  
__Living inside a moment  
__From which I will never awaken_

_Stand on the brink of my own demise  
__Fallen again for another  
__Mistress of burden  
__To idolize  
__Hoping that one of them will decide  
__To let me in_

_My mistress_

_Look at what you've done to me  
__You've become my enemy  
__Poisoning the world for me  
__Take away everything  
__Weakened as I am_

_Stand on the brink of my own demise  
__Fallen again for another  
__Mistress of burden  
__To idolize  
__Hoping that one of them will decide  
__To let me in_

_My Mistress_

The music ended as I finished singing the lyrics. And then the announcer came on and spoke about the raffle for the single backstage pass.

"And we'll allow one of the band members of Misunderstanding Scars to announce the seat we chose..." The announcer said.

Someone approached Mike and handed him a small slip of paper, he read the paper aloud, "Seat 9, Row D!"

There was a short moment of chaos as everyone checked there seats. As the girl who got chosen was jumping up and down she was escorted by a bodyguard to the stairs and behind the stage.

I smiled at the crowd, "Alright, next song is dedicated to the raffle winner. It's called What If I Lost It."

The music started up again and I jumped in with the lyrics a minute later.

_When the time is right you got to get up and fight  
__When your numbers up you got get up and die  
__Would you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__Because the crowd's not coming  
__Could you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__The skin will get numb_

_How many time have you been mistreated?  
__How many times have you been mislead?  
__They brought this nightmare to light  
__All we wanted was to be respected  
__Learned our lessons and don't you forget  
__We stand larger than life_

_What if I lost it_

_It was said and done but I need some more  
__I hadn't had enough I kept kicking in doors  
__Yeah, would you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__Because the crowd's not coming  
__Could you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__The skin get numb_

_How many time have you been mistreated?  
__How many times have you been mislead?  
__They brought this nightmare to light  
__All we wanted was to be respected  
__Learned our lessons and don't you forget  
__We stand larger than life_

_What if I lost it  
__And now what if I lost it  
__What if I lost it_

_Convicted with no excuse  
__Just pull the trigger  
__Cause I've got nothing to lose  
__Dispute it, dispute it I will not be locked up  
__Split-lipped with nothing to lose  
__I will never really change my point of view  
__Disputed, the victim is you  
__I will not be locked up_

_How many times have you been defeated?  
__How many times have you been depressed?  
__How many times have you taken a beating?  
__How many times you been punched in the chest?  
__All we wanted was to be respected  
__Learned our lessons don't you ever forget  
__We stand larger than life_

_What if I lost it  
__Would you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__Because the crowd's not coming  
__Could you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__The skin get numb_

_Would you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
__Because the crowd's not coming  
__Could you walk five blocks, well you got to meet me  
The skin get numb_

The music faded out once more and for the last time that night. I waved to the crowd walked off the stage towards where Sasha was waiting with Robert, Mom, Kasumi, and the raffle winner.

I smiled at them, hugged Mom and Kasumi. Gave Sasha a hug and a quick kiss. I took the towel Sasha offered me and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Damn, those lights seem to get hotter every show." I said.

"You'll get used to it, Ryuu, everyone does." Robert responded.

I hung the towel over my shoulders and smiled, "Ah, but you forget, Robert. I'm not like everyone else. I'm special."

Mike walked up behind me, "In what way we shall not say."

I lightly punched Mike in the shoulder and apprached the raffle winner. I smiled a mischievious smile, "It's been a while...Nabiki."

To Be Continued...

A/N:  
So we...well you guys, finally know who the "brown-haired girl" is. Wonder how many of you guessed right. Anyway, I have nothing to say except that I'm _really_ sorry for the long delay. I'll see if I can't get the next one out sooner. Hope to see you all next chapter! Ja!


	11. Side Story! Woot!

A/N: Ooooooo! I'm doing a side story! Woot! actually I'm trying to get over my depression of how horrible I am at writing decent non-drama-like dialogue. (Which probably explains why the next actual chapter is taking so long to write.) So here's a side story I wrote while bored and depressed and while drinking soda! Woot! Caffeine!

Speech-Ryuu talking  
_Speech_-Mike talking  
**Speech**-Both Mike and Ryuu talking  
(Action)  
"Speech"  
'Thoughts'

Side story

(Camera pans in to view Ryuu sitting on black Laz-e-boy recliner next to Mike who's sitting on the wood floor and staring at the lit fireplace behind Ryuu's recliner. There's a six-pack of soda on the floor in reach of both Ryuu and Mike. Mike has six empty soda cans littered next to him and an empty box that might've once been filled with candy, which is only a guess since there's a pixie stix in Mike's hand and the fire is turning wierd colors.)

Have you ever gotten the sudden feeling of impending doom? Right out of the blue?

_It means you crave soda, now drink fool._

Oh, Mike's going to help with today's story. Say hi to the readers, Mike.

_Hi to the readers, Mike._

Anywho, I'd bet you 20 bucks that's how Matt felt the day of our story. Today me an' Mike are going to tell you about one of our favorite hobbies. Torturing Matt, the ass that lives a couple houses down and across the street from me. Many of our pranks on the poor-

_(Snort) Yeah right..._

(Ahem)

_Sorry._

(Nods) Like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, many-

_I said I was sorry!_

SHUT UP! (Silence) Okay, like I was saying. Many of our pranks on the poor sap, Matt, all involve fire.

_Woot! Fire!_

Yes, fire, Mike. We have a habit of burning down lots of Matt's property, cars, etc.

_We even managed to set fire to his swimming pool once. I took photos of that one. (Grins goofily)_

Yeah, that stunt was great. But we're not going to tell you about that one.

_As much as we're sure you'd enjoy it._

We're going to tell you about one of our more eventful days. Mike, tell them what our agenda was for that day.

_Gladly. That day was awesome and packed with lots of non-fire-related antics. In the morning Ryuu stopped by my garage-_

Because he lives in his parents' garage. He's pathetic that way.

_-And we made a whole bunch of stuff. Water balloons, we unpacked that box of cans of spraypaint and we finally opened those paintball guns we bought a month ago. And that's only the beginning. We spent two hours planning our day._

That's right. We officially named that day Matt's Hell Day.

_Inspired by a recently watched rerun of Viva La Bam the night before._

**(Salute) Long live Bam Margera! May his creativity spark devilish intent in the youth of America and fellow skateboarders alike.**

_And after we finished planning we-_

Well, why don't we just show them, Mike?

_Sounds good to me._

Roll the tape.

_(Strange accent) Aye aye, capi-ton! (Salute)_

(Ryuu hits the lights and everything goes dark before Mike turns the Tv on. Ryuu presses play on the remote in his hand and grabs a can of soda.)

Oh, feel free to grab a can of soda while you watch the show.

_Wait a sec!_

(Presses the Pause button) What?

_I thought we were telling the readers a story!_

We are.

_Then what's with the Tv?_

(Shrugs) Beats the hell out of me. Now sit down help narrate.

_Okay... (Sits and grabs a can of soda) Let's watch!_

(Hits play button again.) (Camera starts to zoom out.)

_Wait!_

(Sigh)(Hits Pause button) What now?

_What happened to all my pixie stix? They're all gone..._

(Points to fireplace) You see the multi colored fire?

_(Nods)_

That's what happened. Obviously all the sugar went to your head and you forgot you dumped half the box in the fire to see if it would change colors. It did. You got fascinated. You threw more in. And so the vicious cycle continues.

_(Staring at the fire) Oh, the prettyful colors..._

In my opinion you wasted a perfectly good box of sugar.

_(Eyes widen) Sugar go bye...no more sugar...(Teary eyes)_

(Sighs)(Rubs temples)(Mutters)I feel an oncoming headache...(Turns to Mike again) We'll get you more sugar later, okay?

_(Nods vehemently) Yeah, yeah, yeah!_

Can we start the video now?

_(Nods)_

Okay. (Goes to press play button but stops) Are you done now? No more interuptions, right?

_(Nods again) Yeah, Ryuu. I'm good now._

Alright. (Goes to press play and sees Mike move to open his mouth to say something. Instead of asking him what it is he throws his still closed can of soda at Mike's head and knocks him unconscious. Smiling to himself, he presses the play button and slouches into his laz-e-boy a bit more.)

(Camera turns to face the flat screen Tv and then zooms into the screen.)

* * *

The scene opens up to a helicopter type view from above the neighborhood. Showing each and everyhouse. The camera zooms in until you can see clearly in a 4 house radius.

* * *

Now I seriously have to tell you. The neighborhood I live in is pretty peaceful. It was completely peaceful until I moved in, but that's what happens when a chaos magnet moves into town. Anyway, since the neighborhood is so peacful no one really has any alarms. You have your average lock on the front and back door. But that's it. No fancy schmancy alarms with glass breakage and the likes. Just normal locks.

No house in the neighborhood had any of those fancy alarms. Except one house about 3 places down from mine. But that didn't occur until after this whole stunt.

* * *

The camera zooms in some more and comes up to the front door of a comfortable looking one-story ranch. The door opens to reveal the young man we know as Ryuu Mouko. He's wearing black gi pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots, a black long sleeve shirt with a crimson t-shirt over it, and black fingerless gloves on his hands. Over his shoulder is his skateboard.

There's a small white wire runninng from his left pant pocket up to his chest where it splits in two and continues up to his ears where they form ear phones. He's nodding his head in time to his rock mix as he puts his skateboard on the ground and begins skating down the road.

----------------

The screen fades to black and we're brought to the scene of another one-story ranch property. This one isn't brown like the last one it's white. We see Ryuu skate up the driveway and jump off his board. He peers into the glass windows of the garage door and seems to be looking for something.

He climbs in through the sidewindow and walks over to the sleeping bundle of blankets and begins singing into it's ear.

"Help me get away from myself. I want to fuck you like an animal. I want to feel you from the inside..." Ryuu laughs as the figure turns over and mumbles.

"Go fuck with...one else...stup...bastard..."

"Help me get away from myself. I want to fuck you like an animal. I want to feel you from the inside. I want to fuck you like an animal. My whole existance is wrong, you get me closer to God," Ryuu sings again from his iPod, "I love my iPod..." He sighs as the figure turns over again.

"How I grow bored with this game..." He walks away from the bed and grabs a bucket sitting by the sink. He opens the tap and runs the cold water for a few minutes before setting to work filling the bucket with ice cold water. When it's full he walks back over to the bed.

"Alright Mike, I'm giving you to the count of 10 to get your ass out of the bed. Or at least sit up," Ryuu moved the bucket to a good dumping position, "1..."

"Fuck..."

"2..."

"You..."

"3..."

"Bastard..."

"10," Ryuu grinned maniacally as Mike suddenly stiffened rolled off the bed with a resounding thump.

"Ow, fucking concrete floor...I'm up, I'm up..."

Ryuu pouted like a child who'd just had his favorite toy taken from him, "Man, now what am I gonna do with all this water?"

* * *

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't done something with the bucket of water. But I wouldn't be lying if I said I gave Lucky the cat a bath of sorts. (Smile)

* * *

While Matt was dressing Ryuu was creeping around his yard looking for his favorite victim. He found him sitting on the chain link fence.

He crept up as silently as he could behind him, which was pretty damn silent, and threw the water at him.

With a loud yowl the cat went skittering across the neighbors yard and into the bushes.

"Ryuu! Stop fucking with the cat and get in here!"

Ryuu grinned like a 5 year old on christmas as he walked back into Mike's apartment whistling and swinging the now empty bucket back and forth as he walked.

* * *

We spent about 3 hours setting everything up for the day. It was entertaining to say the least and that's just the planning.Of course to say that we didn't diverge from the original would be lying. AndI hate to lie without good purpose.

* * *

As Ryuu and Mike skateboarded down the street it was still early in the morning, about 5:15, and everyone was still sleeping pretty much.

"I declare today, Matt's Hell Day!"

"WOOT!"

Well, _almost_ everyone was sleeping. And after the shouts even more people were awake.

----------------

The screen switches to another ranch property, only this one holds a two-story house. The camera zooms into the backyard and we see Mike messing around with things near the pool, jacuuzi, and barbeque before sitting in a large oak tree near the window of the house.

As the scene switches to inside the house we watch as Ryuu walks around the house in the cloak of his Umi-sen-ken technique. He changes bottles in the shower and bathroom. Switches bottles in the kitchen. And walks downstairs into the basement where Matt has his bar. He empties all the bottles in the sink and replaces them all with vinegar, water, grape juice, and a couple bottles with a special hot sauce.

(For those who don't know about the Umi-sen-ken, it's a technique where Ranma can disappear completely to mortal eyes.)

He spills a drop of the hot sauce on the carpet, "Shit!" He curses silently, before shrugging and moving onto to his next point of destruction. We watch Ryuu disappear up the stairs and zoom into the spot where the hot sauce was spilt.

Where there once might've been a red stain on the carpet is a small smoldering patch of fabric.

* * *

Heh, that was my special hot sauce. Something I made for myself when I made my ownfood on the road. Cause I mean, who _doesn't_ like a decent hot sauce on occasion? Certainly not me. (Smiles)

* * *

"Everything all set on your side?"

"Yep. How 'bout you?"

"Same."

"Okay. You gonna video tape this?"

"Nope, got it all covered already."

"Whatever man..."

"Look! He's getting up!"

----------------

Sure enough in the master bedroom of the two story house, one Matt Donovan awoke to start his day. Hoping beyond hope that the annoying bastard down the road would leave him alone.

Little did he know that "The annoying bastard down the road" was sitting in one of the large oak trees in his backyard with a pair of binoculars.

Matt walked into his bathroom in his special black robe, it's special cause it has the Superman symbol on the back, and then hung his robe on a hook behind the door. Stepping into the shower he began his daily ritual and ignored most of the labels on the bottles he used.

10 minutes later he walked out of his shower and dried himself off. He stood in front of his mirror and played around with his short brown hair. His hair was just long enough to mess with.

He gave himself a mohawk and posed in front of the mirror. He chuckled to himself as he put his polka dotted boxers on and then moved back in front of the mirror. He brought his hand up to flatten the mohawk but was horrified when he couldn't make his hair go back down, he couldn't even get a brush through it.

Rushing back into the shower stall and grabbed his bottle of shampoo. His eyes widened when he actually read the label on the bottle, "Wood Glue."

He sighed and shook his head, _I just can't win_. _Arrogant bastard, whoever did this. I know it wasn't Ryuu, he doesn't have the balls to go this far._ Ha! If only he knew.

He walked into his room and grabbed his clothes for the day. Before making his way to the kitchen. He made himself eggs and grabbed the bottle that said ketchup. He put some next to his eggs and dipped. It took a minute for the hot sauce to register in his mind, but when it did he drank _a lot_ of water from the sink.

He decided he needed a large glass of wine before work and found instead grape juice. He sighed and instead tried the white wine, but found vinegar instead. He tried a different bottle and sniffed the contents, it smelt familiar, so he guessed it was okay. Taking a quick swig with his eyes closed he dropped the bottle immediately and flew towards the sink to drink another gallon or two of water.

Making his way to the main floor he ignored the smoldering fabric that was once his carpet and opened the back door. In doing so he hit the door against the carefully placed barbecue, making it roll across his deck and stopping a little ways into his homemade volleyball court, of course the net was down since it was so close to winter at the time.

As soon as the BBQ stopped it burst into flames.

----------------

From their place in the oak tree, Ryuu and Mike stared in awe at the burning ruins of the barbeque.

Ryuu spoke without turning to Mike, "Dude, how'd you get it to do that?"

Mike blinked and shook his head, "Beats me, man. I only placed the thing in the way of the door. I was hoping it'd fall into the pool."

"Well your aim sucks, Mike."

"You're telling me."

Back to Matt; he's running to his hose hoping he'll be able to stop the fire before it spreads to anything. He unraveled the hose and brought close enough to the barbeque and he got ready to turn the hose on. Asabrupt as the fire hadstarted it disappeared.

----------------

"Woah."

"Yeah."

"Poltergeist?"

"Stop watching horror movies, Mike, they're gonna rot your brain."

"Brain?"

"Oh, right, nevermind."

* * *

And to tell you the truth, we never _did_ find out how that barbeque did that.

_It was magic man._

Woah, when'd you get up?

_A couple minutes ago. Just in time to watch the barbeque burn. Heh...fire..._

Dude, that's my line. Don't steal my lines.

_Sorry._

* * *

Matt sighed and started walking to his car, "Not an hour into my day and it already sucks."

He walks to the front yard closes his eyes right before he gets there, "Please let my baby be okay, please let my baby be okay and in one piece please..."

* * *

(Hits the pause button) Okay, this is the one of main reasons why the man's single and we hate him. But let's get a bit more detailed. Mike?

_One: He treats his car better than any human being he interacts with._

A man has problems when he treats a fucking car better than his neighbor or co-worker. Anyone who treats his car better than a living being should be shot. Multiple times. In the groin.

_Two: He's a druggie._

Okay, I can't really complain here, because it's partially our fault he's a druggie. The man takes anti-depressants every morning with his vitamins.

_Which is totally weird because one of his "vitamins" is a little blue pill we teens call Viagra._

Which explains a lot of things, but we won't get into those if only to keep mental scarring to a minimum. Now the next reason is the main reason why I love to hate this man.

_Three: He's a pedophile._

The man is fucking 29 years old and lusts after Sasha. Sasha's 22. That's a 7 year difference. And the fucker lusts after _my_ Sasha no less.

_"Your" Sasha?_

Shut up. Like I said before. This man should be shot, multiple times, in the groin. He passes up curvacious women _his_ age, tochase after a young woman who already has her sights set on a handsome young man...

_I thought she was dating you?_

Shut up, Mike. I said it once, I'll say it again, this man should be shot in the groin until all feeling leaves his libido. And I wouldn't mind if he was paralyzed from the waist down as well. Or perhaps killed in a freak accident...heheh...(Evil glint in eyes)

_Riiight...Now, back to the story! (Grabs remote from Ryuu and hits Play)_

* * *

With his eyes closed, Matt pictured his pristine Viper convertable sitting in the driveway, scratchless, dentless, and with it's perfect red paintjob.

----------------

"I wonder if he'll like the new paintjob we gave his car?" Mike said while watching through his binoculars.

----------------

Matt opened his eyes, stared wide eyed at his car, opened his mouth, and screamed like girl.

----------------

"I think he likes it."

"Doubt it, but an ass like him doesn't deserve that nice a car anyway."

"I hear that."

----------------

Instead of it's pristine red, the car was a bright neon pink. The trunk was neon purple. The hood and top of the car was neon yellow.

Matt slowly stalked around the car and looked at the paintjob with tears in his eyes, "My baby...my poor baby..." On the windshield there was a sign that said, "Congrats! We've pimped your car!" in the same neon purple spray paint as the trunk.

He opened the driver side door and took a deep breath before sitting down on the seat...and popping several water balloons that were hidden under the seat cover. Somehow he'd completely missed the obvious lumps that were the tell tale sign of water balloons.

He gasped at the ice cold water on the seat of his pants before carefully, slowly looking down. He looked like he wet his pants. He was about to go inside and change when he saw he'd be late if he did. So he sighed deeply, hoped to God his pants would dry before he got to work, slammed his forehead into the steering wheel for good measure and drove off to work.

----------------

"The water balloon idea was genius."

"Only because he was too teary eyed to notice them."

"It was still a genius idea."

"You're only saying that because it was _your_ idea."

"What's your point?"

(sigh)

"Woah, he smashed his forehead on the steering wheel."

"Ha ha, awesome."

"Wonder if it hurt."

"Only if he was a wuss. I've hit my head on harder things."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Smacked my head into a wall while headbanging the other day to Black Sabbath."

"Oh yeah, I've fallen off my skateboard while doing a trick and hit my head on the concrete."

"That _would_ explain a lot of things...but I've hit my head on harder things."

"Do tell."

"Ever been punched in the head by someone who can destroy buildings with a single punch?"

"No."

"I have."

"Doubt it."

"Mike, I told you my life's story and I turn into a tiger at will. You don't believe that?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"You'd have to come out of that with brain damage or _something_."

"I hear voices remember?"

"Oh yeah."

* * *

We sat in that oak tree for an hour before we got bored and followed Matt to his work building. We did some research and came up with some facts about the building.

_Like for some stupid reason there's no security cameras that view the parking lot._

Which helped us put to use that paintball gun we have that "mysteriously" has Matt's fingerprints on it.

_(Grinning like an idiot) He used it to shoot at Ryuu one time after we "re-painted" his old Ford. We, for some strange reason, were wearing leather gloves so there's no one elses finger prints except Matt's._

We waited until after lunch to execute the plan, but it had to be done after some research and careful planning.

_I'm not only an excellent drummer, but I'm awesome at hacking. Hacking into this building was like taking out some punk with a lead pipe._

Not that he's ever done anything like that.

_Nope. It was a wooden bat._

* * *

Matt walked out of the building and saw an investigation going on around his car and another woman's car. He approached one of the officers.

"Officer what's on?"

"We have an act of vandalism that went about on Ms. Caffeine's car. We found the evidence of the act in this car," The officer said gesturing to Matt's "pimped" car, "All we're trying to do is find the owner of the car now. Would you happen to know a Mr. Donovan?"

----------------

(Squeeky mocking voice) "Excuse me officer, what's going on?"

(Deep baritone mocking type voice) "I haven't a clue, you prick, now go away or fuck me in the ass."

Ryuu laughs and uses his normal voice, "Her name's caffeine, Kami, how'd you find her?"

Mike's laughing as well but manages to answer, "She just came up, she was one of the first chicks that came in before Matt."

"Oh look, the cop's asking him about the culprit."

"Can I hit the big red button yet?"

"No, wait for it..."

"Now?"

"Matt's about to deny knowing himself, wait a second..."

"Now?"

"Now."

----------------

Matt stuttered a bit before calming himself and shaking his head, "No, I wouldn't know any Mr. Dono-"

**(BOOM)**

"FUCK! My car!" Matt yelled.

The cop blinked before staring at Matt. He shrugged, grabbed his handcuffs and handcuffed Matt.

"Mr. Donovan, you're under arrest for the vandalization of Ms. Caffeine's car."

"How do you know it's my car! I deny it! I plead the fifth, damn it!" Matt shouted struggling against the cop.

"Well for one, you shouted about the car that just blew up being yours before I handcuffed you. And two, the fact that you're denying everything makes you all the more guilty. Thank the lord we got the evidence from your car before it blew," The cop said shoving Matt into his patrol car.

"What was up with that?" Another cop asked.

"Beats me, the crazy fuck tried to blow up the evidence then pretend he hadn't a clue about it."

"Crazy bastards are all the same."

"It's a damn shame."

----------------

"Ah...the big red button made the car go boom..." Mike looks at the small control button and hugs it, "I love the big red button."

Ryuu looks at Mike with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't take your meds this morning did you?"

"No, why?"

* * *

And that was our day. Two excellent explosions. The proper placing of water balloons. The proper planning and use of a paintball gun from the week before. And a fascinating experience by discovering people have the wierdest last names.

_Hey, I found another one!_

Who is it?

_Guy's name is Dick Cheney. Who the hell name's their kid, "dick"?_

Obviously Cheney's mom. You know this Dick guy is an important part of our government, right?

_Yeah, and? What has the government ever done for us?_

Give us a lousy enough security to hack but good enough to arrest Matt on more than 25 occasions.

_Oh yeah. (Takes a small controller with a big red button on it and hugs it to his chest) I love you big red button. You make things go boom._

You didn't take your medicine this morning did you?

_Nope. But I did have a lot of sugar and soda and caffeine (Snort) caffeine. (Breaks into a fit of hysterical laughter)_

(Sigh) I always befriend the wierd ones...(remembers something) Hey, didn't you re-set that controller to blow something up again the other day?

_(Abruptly stops laughing) So I did...I can't remember what though..._

Guess there's only one way to find out, eh?

_Yep. (Presses the button)_

Hey nothing hap-

**(BOOM)**

(The entire screen turns into static and all we get is audio.)

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...

_(Has broken into peels of laughter) That was fucking awesome!_

Stop laughing, dipshit! If Sasha finds out we ruined the rug in this room she's gonna hand us our asses!

"Ryuu! Mike! What was that loud boom I heard!"

_Oh fuck._

(Audio slowly fades out and the last thing we hear is the door opening, a lot of muffled yelling, and the sound of a huge scuffle before the audio finally fades into static.)

The End. (For now...maybe)

A/N: Just for those wondering. Ryuu ended up in a tent in the backyard and Mike was put in a leg cast when Sasha fractured his leg. He was still clutching the controller with the big red button and muttering something about no one getting "his precious."

Ah, random violence, chaos, explosions, cursing, and torture. I enjoyed writing this. Anyway, since I'm here. I just want to say something real quick, if you have any questions and would prefer them answered before the next actual chapter comes, whenever that is, e-mail your questions to me. I'll answer them as I get them. Until next time, bye!

Reviews welcome, Flames not.


	12. Interrogations

Interrogations

"It's been awhile...Nabiki."

Nabiki looked a bit startled but recovered quickly, "How do you know my name?"

Ryuu smiled lightly, guiding everyone to a large lounge room, "Well, Nabs-Can I call you that?"

"Preferably not."

Ryuu shrugged and opened the door for Sasha, Sam, Nodoka, Kasumi, Nabiki and Shampoo. Mike, Jon, and him followed shortly after.

"You were a part of my life several years ago, Nabs."

Nabiki sat down on one of the seats scattered about the room and thought back on her life. It was a minute or two before she shook her head, "I don't think so, I'd like to believe I'd remember having interactions with someone like you, Ryuu-kun."

Ryuu sat down between Sasha and Kasumi and acted hurt, "Your words wound me, Nabs."

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, "Though your lack of memory is understandable. 4 years can change a person dramatically..."

Nabiki gave Ryuu a blank stare while she tried to figure him out. Sam, who was walking to her seat, poked Ryuu in the back of the head, "Why don't you elaborate for her, dumbass."

"Fine, fine," Ryuu leaned forward as he thought about what he would say, "Let's see...last you saw me was when I was 18, a couple days before I left. Anyway, over the course of 4 years my hair, which used to be solid black, gained blue stripes and a haircut. It used to be long enough for a pony tail."

Sasha leaned over a bit and started to play with the hair near the nape of Ryuu's neck, "You're going to need a haircut soon, in another week you'll be able to wear it in a ponytail..."

Ryuu shivered at the contact, "Yes, dear."

Mike, who tried to get a seat farthest from Ryuu, made whipping noises and gestures, "Whipped!"

Ryuu, being the diplomat he is, got up and walked over to Mike. He stared him in the eyes for a second for punching him, "Jackass," He muttered as he walked back to his seat.

Kasumi leaned forward a bit to see Mike better as he lay sprawled on the floor, "Oh my. Will he be alright?"

Jon nodded, "Yeah, this happens all the time. Mike should know better by now..."

Xian was quiet for a moment before she started bouncing in her seat with her hand raised, "Oh, oh! I know what hasn't changed in over 4 years!" Ryuu raised an eyebrow and nodded for her to continue, "You're still violent!"

Nodoka nodded in agreement with Xian, "I'd have to agree with her on that note."

Ryuu groaned, "Man, now everyone's ganging on me..."

Sasha patted his head, "Now, now. You need to keep telling Tendo-san all about your changes. You can't do that if you're whining."

"I'm not whining."

Sasha nodded, but it was clear she wasn't exactly convinced. Not that he put up much of an argument either.

Ryuu sighed, "Alright, alright...um...lesse, oh! When you knew me I had this incessant fear of cats."

Kasumi smiled her trademark smile, "Don't forget how, with a simple application of cold water, you turned into a healthy young woman."

"Don't remind me."

"Why? You turn into a handsome tiger now," Sasha said.

Ryuu smiled, "Quite true, quite true."

Nabiki had been sitting there in shock as the truth hit her like a large pillow slammed into her face at 35 mph, "...R-Ranma?"

Ryuu clapped his hands, "Excellent detective work, Nabs. Would you like a cookie for your efforts?"

"But...why?"

"Why do you want a cookie or why did I leave?" Ryuu asked raising an eyebrow.

"The second one," Nabiki said.

Ryuu shrugged and leaned back in his chair, "Simple really. Akane betrayed me for the last time."

"That's why...she was engaged to Ryoga so fast after you left," Nabiki said to herself as if just realizing it.

Ryuu raised his eyebrow again, "_How_ fast?"

"...4 days," Nabiki winced at Ryuu's look of anger.

Sasha blinked, "Girl works fast, doesn't she?"

"That bitch! It took me an entire year to get over her betrayal! She doesn't even have the decency to give me an entire week!" Ryuu started taking deep breathes trying to calm down. Both Sasha and Kasumi placed a hand on his shoulders in a comforting gesture and he gave them looks of thank before turning back to Nabiki again, "Did your father and Genma know about them?"

Nabiki shook her head, "None of us had a clue about it until you left that day."

Ryuu nodded in understanding before pausing, "How come _you_ didn't know?"

Nabiki looked away, a bit ashamed of the reason herself, "They dated outside the Tendo-ke. Otherwise I would've found out and told you."

Ryuu smiled softly at Nabiki, "Thanks, Nabiki."

Nabiki nodded at him before he continued talking, "How did dumb and dumber react when they found out?"

She held her hands up and shrugged, "Same old, same old. One cried a river. The other cried Niagara falls."

"And what about _your_ reaction?"

Nabiki shook her head, "I was mad at Akane. Because she betrayed you and because she didn't realize your feelings for her sooner, though you two were always pig headed."

"Glad to see the Ice Queen cares," Ryuu paused, "How'd she get Suon to agree to the engagement between her and Ryoga?"

Nabiki shook her head, "He didn't at first. He was adamant that she marry you. But Ryoga proposed, after two days of collecting courage, she accepted and was sickeningly happy. Suon, seeing his 'baby girl' so happy, couldn't hold up his resolve for very long and cracked."

Ryuu shook his head in exasperation, "Soft bastard..." he mumbled, "Never did have a spine of his own."

"Gotta admit though," Nabiki cut off his muttering, "You really didn't have one either."

"Did too!"

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at him, "Really? Is that why you had 4 fiancées?"

"3. The day Kodachi counts is the day I take up a harem of young ladies and pronounce myself the pimp of pimps."

Nabiki couldn't help but laugh a little at his reference, "Alright, but you still had multiple fiancées."

Ryuu nodded, "It's not that I didn't have a spine. I just...(sigh) there was no way out of that mess without someone getting hurt."

"So you strung them along."

Ryuu nodded again, "Didn't have much of a choice. But it doesn't matter now, it all worked out in the end."

"Though you ended up with the short straw...again."

He shrugged, "Maybe I did. But I like to think I got the better half of the deal in the end."

"Oh?"

"Yep, I met some really close friends, and met a beautiful young woman who I now share a home with," He smiled at Sasha as she blushed badly at his compliment, "And what'd Akane get? Ryoga."

Nabiki nodded, "You definitely got the better deal."

Ryuu nodded (they do that a lot), "Onto another topic though. One question has been plaguing me for awhile now..."

Nabiki's eyebrow did a spock maneuver, "Really?"

"Why do you listen to our band? I mean, I'm not complaining. I'm just...curious." Everyone else nodded their head in agreement.

"A friend of mine took me to New Jersey for a week, something about my needing a vacation. Anyway, we found Uncle Dan's bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks. We were about to leave when you announced yourselves. We decided to stay and listen. We ended up enjoying the show...a lot."

Mike, having just recently returned to his seat from his position on the floor, asked, "What was your favorite part of the show?"

"It was the energetic Ryuu and the way his voice captivated the audience...You reminded me so much of Ranma and how happy he was on peaceful days," Nabiki smiled softly at Ryuu, "Now I know why."

Sasha wrapped her arms around Ryuu's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Hey, now, no flirting. He's my man now," She winked.

Nodoka got a twinkle in her eye, "Oh, my. My son's so manly!"

Ryuu groaned, "Kami, not this again..." Nabiki couldn't stifle the giggle his words brought and Ryuu raised an eyebrow at her, "Is the Ice Queen...melting?"

"I do believe you're right Ryuu-kun," Kasumi said.

Xian decided to add her own two cents, "Either that or her act is rusty."

"Or maybe being 23, almost 24, has softened her up," Sam said.

"If that's the case, Ryuu's no longer prude," Nabiki said.

Ryuu picked Sasha up and sat her in his lap, "We've already worked on that," Ryuu said smirking.

Nabiki blinked, "Oh my."

"That was unexpected..." Mike said.

Jon blinked, "Ryuu was prude?"

Kasumi giggled, "I think Nabiki stole my line."

"Line?" Sam looked around the room for something, "We use scripts!"

Everyone sweat dropped in response.

Mike shook his head, "No, Sam. Life doesn't use scripts."

Ryuu nodded, "Yeah. It's more like Who's Line Is It Anyway?"

"Except Drew Carey isn't there to tell us what to do," Sasha added.

Jon blinked again, "Wow. Today's full of surprises, ain't it?" Ryuu shot Jon a questioning gaze and he explained, "First, I find out that at some point in your life, you, of all people, were prude. Now, you shock me with an interesting philosophy of life, albeit it's a crude philosophy...but one none-the-less."

Mike blinked in response to Jon's explanation, "Wow, Jon's got a point."

"Which means I must go to work and rectify this matter!" Ryuu exclaimed. Sasha giggled in his lap and simply smiled at him.

Nabiki nodded to herself, "Today has definitely been a strange day."

(-)

This is the area where I could probably complain, and bitch, and moan about how hard the entire scene above was to write. But at the moment I have a headache and a lot of sounds are reverberating through my head...which makes a cool effect for when you listen to System of A Down and Slipknot and Breaking Benjamin...

(-)

After Ryuu had made his proclamation to rectify Jon's statement everyone had decided a better place to hang out would be someplace they could eat, in Mike's words. So they went to Nodoka's house.

Now Ryuu was sitting on the back porch with Sasha next to him, both of them conversing as he wrote down lyrics to a new song. Nodoka was doing things in the kitchen with Kasumi. And everyone else was gathered around the low table simply talking.

"So what has Ryuu been up to?" For the past hour Nabiki had been questioning Jon, Sam, Mike, and Xian about Ryuu's life, seeing as how he wasn't going to participate at the moment.

Sam shrugged, "Skate boarding, writing lyrics..."

"Torturing Matt," Mike added.

"Hanging out with us, spending personal time with Sasha," Jon said.

"And don't forget getting arrested for arson," Xian said.

"Once! You get caught once and you never live it down!" Ryuu yelled in protest from the porch.

"Once...in Japan," Sasha said.

Ryuu looked at her, "Thanks for standing up for me, Sasha."

She smiled, "Welcome, dear."

Sam decided to answer Nabiki's unsaid question, "Ryuu's been arrested 4 times for arson."

"3 times! The 4th was an accident!" Ryuu protested again.

"An accident?" Jon said, "Ryuu, you set the fucking neighbor's cat on fire."

"It isn't my fault. Mike hit in the back with a spray of ice cold water...I dropped the match in surprise," Ryuu explained sheepishly.

"Twice for trespassing," Sam said.

"Matt changes his security system 3 times a month," Mike said by way of explanation.

"And once for breaking and entering," Sam said.

"Are you serious?" Nabiki asked.

Jon shook his head, "He knows half the police force on a first name basis."

"Wow."

(-)

Later on that night found me on the roof of Mom's house. We called Robert earlier, a little after dinner I guess, and told him we'd be at my Mom's place.

Everyone was asleep in the house. Sam, Sasha, and Xian shared a room and Nabiki shared a room with Kasumi. Jon, Mike and I were in my old room. I was the only one not asleep, or so I'd thought.

(-)

Ryuu sat on the roof and stared out at the stars and moon. The only sounds heard were the nightlife around him. And if he hadn't mastered the Neko-ken he wouldn't have heard the silent sound of a ladder being propped up against the side of the house.

He waited until they were standing on the roof slightly behind him before speaking, "No matter what state or country, the roof of a house with an excellent view of the night sky will always be my favorite place to be. It's always been a place of thought and insight in my life. And for me, that held a lot of meaning, constant chaos left little room for insightful thoughts.

"The roof was always _my_ spot. My thoughts were thought there. My feelings were released there. And the stars...were my companions...They were the only thing I've ever thought was a constant in my life. I've been all over the world, and everywhere I go, the stars are always the same."

It was silent for a minute before Ryuu spoke again, "When I came to the Tendos I envied you all. You had things that were always there; when you woke up in the morning, there was a roof over your head and breakfast to look forward to; in the evening you would go to school, and when you returned you had a home to go home to.

"You never had to worry about keeping a distance from people for fear of moving on and having to leave them behind..." he laughed wryly, "Look at me now, mister philosopher...What do you need Nabiki?"

Nabiki stepped forward and sat beside him on the roof before speaking, "Do you...still care for Akane?"

Silence reigned for several minutes before he answered, "Yes...and no. I care enough that I hope she dies a natural death. But I wouldn't mind if a few choice herbs spurred that natural death along. That and I hope Ryoga's sterile. We don't need anymore pig-headed assholes running around Japan."

Nabiki smiled softly and nods. Another moment of silence envelopes them before Nabiki breaks it, "...So, what's constant in your life now?"

Ryuu smiled, "The stars, my friends, my mother, my fans, my memories -both good and bad-, and...Sasha."

Nabiki tilted her head, "You really love her...don't you?"

He nodded, "Yes, and I don't plan on messing this time."

Nabiki smiled, "Good," She got up and started moving towards the ladder. A few ladder rungs before she disappeared from his view she stopped, "Oh, and Ryuu?"

"Hm?"

"You'll invite me to the wedding won't you?"

"Wouldn't dream of having you _not_ go."

Nabiki smiled again and disappeared from his view. Ryuu sighed and looked up at the stars. If he closed his eyes he could see Sakura smiling down on him, happy that he'd moved on.

"For what it's worth, I still love you too, Sakura," He smirked as he imagined her reaction in his mind. She probably would've sweat dropped but kept the happy smile on her face, as forced as it would've been. Then, when they were alone, slap him upside the head before giving him a quick kiss.

And then he imagined Sasha's reaction to the same sentence, also imagining that she knew of Sakura, and found them to be very similar. The only difference being Sasha would've smacked him with a used skateboard.

He chuckled and counted windows before sneaking into the room Sasha shared with Sam and Xian through the window. He silently crept up to Sasha's futon and kneeled beside her.

He kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, "Sleep well, Love."

(-)

Now here would be a great time to say, that it would be perfect if I'd gotten caught and bashed over the head by one of Xian's famous bonbori...but sorry to disappoint all you sadistic bastards out there, I did _not_ get caught. At least I don't think so...

(-)

As Ryuu silently crept out the room he failed to catch the smile serene smile on Sasha's lips as she opened her eyes. As the door closed she closed her eyes, "Love you too, Ryuu."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Wai! I love writing this series! It's so fun! Anyway, as was stated before when I was pleading for your help, there are only a few more chapters left before this story is officially over. But let's not mourn until that last chapter is out, okay? Good. Now, I can officially read some fanfiction without feeling guilty about leaving this chapter half finished.

Remember all you beautiful reviewers, you! Reviews welcome! Flames not!


	13. Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

There are so many things I could say about what happened as we arrived in Nerima the next day by bus. But, there are really only a few words that could describe it well.

Things went, "Boom."

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to this morning, around 6:30 in the morning when I woke up Mike for certain reasons that'll be explained shortly.

* * *

"Mike... Mike!" I whispered then sighed, "Mike, you fucker, wake up!" I decided whispering wasn't enough and settled for trying to bruise his ribs. 

"Ouch!" Mike yelped. He looked up at me, "You ass, that hurt."

I smirked, "I know. Now hurry up and get dressed, I wanna work on the plans for Nerima."

"Yeah, yeah..."

* * *

It was about 8:39 when we decided our plans were pretty much done; we simply had to set everything else up. When I left the room we'd been working in I decided I needed a nice soak in the furo. 

I was about to walk into the bathroom with my change of clothes when Sasha kinda blind-sided me.

"G'morning, Ryuu," She smiled. She'd caught me off guard, obviously, and had me pushed up against the wall.

"Morning, Sasha," I managed to smile back. It was awkward being on the defensive for once.

Her smile turned into a smirk momentarily before she kissed me...deeply. A minute later she broke the kiss and left me breathless leaning against the wall as she walked into the bathroom and put up the "occupied" sign.

I tried to even out my breathing as I slid down the wall and shook my head, "Damn that girl..." I ended up sitting there with my stuff sprawled out beside me until she left the bathroom.

She smiled sweetly at me; it was one of those I'm-so-sweet-and-innocent-I-can't-have-possibly-just-fucked-with-your-mind-minutes-ago smiles.

I pointed at her and tried to frown, "One of these days, I'm gonna marry you, woman...marry you good..." Obviously not one of my better threats.

She smirked, "I'm waiting, lover-boy."

I somehow managed to get in the bathroom, replace the "occupied" sign, and take an ice cold shower after she left.

* * *

That was probably the most memorable moment of the morning. Breakfast wasn't anything exciting; we ate breakfast, said our good-byes with promises to keep in touch, and parted ways. Sasha and Sam went with Jon back to the hotel. Xian went to go see if her Grandmother had arrived yet, I'd sent her tickets to the show. (Smirk) Wouldn't want my favorite mummy to miss one of the biggest moments of my life. I was, after all, closing a chapter of my life once and for all. Anyway, Nabiki and Kasumi headed back to the Tendo-ke and Mike and me went to set up our plans. 

What are our plans? Pfft, like I'd tell you. You'll just have to keep reading and find out as they happen, ne?

* * *

Ryuu had just finished setting up half his plan with Mike and they'd split ways. He was currently on his way to Ucchan's but he was interrupted by a familiar battle cry. One he hadn't heard in over 4 years with a slight edit. 

"Ryuu! Because of you, I've seen hell!"

Ryuu turned around and smirked evilly, "Hell? You don't have a clue what hell's like, Ryoga. You want to see hell? You want to meet my old buddy Satan? Then come on, give me your best shot."

Ryoga had hesitated at Ryuu's smirk, the smirk bringing him back to that time when he was tied above the fire on a spit slowly turning and roasting... he shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Ryuu. _How dare that honor-less bastard mock me..._

"Ryuu, prepare to die!"

Ryuu rolled his eyes, "Please, tell me something I haven't heard a million times before," He stepped off to the side as Ryoga charged at him. He continued sidestepping as Ryoga continually charged. Getting bored Ryuu yawned, "Let's try something new, shall we?" And in so saying stuck his foot out and tripped Ryoga.

Ryoga fell flat on his face and lied there for a second before growling and getting to his feet. He began throwing punches at Ryuu who, as before, dodged each punch. A particular punch of Ryoga's was aimed at Ryuu's head just as Ryuu stepped on a glass bottle carelessly placed in the middle of the street. As the bottle rolled forward under Ryuu's weight it sent him falling backwards, letting him dodge the strike in a situation that dimly reminds the authoress and her muses of Sailor Moon.

The bottle shot out from under Ryuu and smacked into that sensitive spot right below his knee making his legs involuntarily buckle and sent him to his knees. Ryuu sat on the ground and winced, "Damn that must've hurt..."

He blinked and decided not to dwell on it further as he stood and wiped his jeans of dirt. Ryoga stood again after several seconds and lunged at Ryuu again (You'd think the buffoon would learn after the first two times).

Ryuu sighed and caught the fist in his own, wincing slightly at the impact, "Listen Ryoga, you're not my equal anymore. Actually, you barely ever were. So cut the shit."

Ryoga was about to shout some obscenities common in their fights when an old woman cleansing her walkway splashed them with water.

Ryuu blinked and looked down at the small black piglet biting his pant leg and turned to the old lady. He looked at her for a moment before grabbing the little piglet, knocking him out, and walking away while shaking his head, "It's all a fucking conspiracy..."

He stared at the unconscious piglet in his hand before smiling evilly, "I'm suddenly in the mood for pork okinomiyaki."

* * *

Ryuu walked through the door to Ucchan's and smiled at the Ukyo, who was cleaning the grill. The morning rush was over so there were only a few people within the building. 

Ukyo looked up and smiled at him, "Welcome to Ucchan's. What can I get you today?"

Ryuu smiled back, "Ah, how quickly a childhood friend is forgotten when he changes his hair," He chuckled as he sat down on a stool in front of the grill and tilted his head at Ukyo, "So, how've you been, Ucchan?" (Ryoga had been thrown into a sub-space pocket a minute before Ryuu came into the Ucchan's.)

Ukyo looked at Ryuu for a while trying to place the face with little success. Ryuu helped jump-start her memory, "How's the cross-dresser doing? Find any good dresses lately?"

Konatsu snorted as he walked out of the storage room in a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a white apron on, "I'm doing fine, 'fem-boy'. And for your information I've been clean for several months."

Ryuu turned to Konatsu, "Bet that's the longest you've ever gone. And it isn't 'fem-boy' anymore, considering I turn into a tiger now..."

Ryuu notice Ukyo staring at him, "What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked rubbing his face. Ukyo smiled and walked around the counter. She grabbed him into a large hug and tried not to cry into his shoulder, though she couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes.

Ryuu's eyes softened as he wrapped his arms around his old best friend, "I missed you too, Ucchan."

"Kami, Ryuu, you have no idea how much I've missed you..."

He smiled softly, "I think I have a faint idea right now."

When Ukyo had her tears under control and she released Ryuu from the hug she sat on the stool next to his and they talked about what'd happened in their lives over the past 4 years. After two hours of catching up Ryuu's stomach growled.

Ukyo and Konatsu laughed at him while he chuckled. He retrieved Ryoga from sub-space and placed him on the counter, "Hey, think I can get a decent pork okinomiyaki with this piglet?"

Ukyo looked at the piglet and noticed the bandana around its neck, "Isn't that...?"

Ryuu nodded, "Yeah, can I have some okinomiyaki please?"

Ukyo moved to refuse but Konatsu beat her to it, "Sure, give me a few minutes to prepare mister porker."

"Konatsu!" Ukyo reprimanded.

Konatsu smiled cheekily, "Hey, you know me. I've never been one to turn down a chance to make Ryoga miserable... or dead." He mumbled under his breath. Only Ryuu caught the comment and he smirked in response as he watched Konatsu begin heating a pot of water and sharpening a butcher knife.

A couple minutes pass and Ukyo and Konatsu are joking around with Ryuu as the pot of water continues to heat up, Ryuu occasionally throwing in a comment about how best to sharpen the knife.

But alas, all good things must come to an end eventually. And so Ryuu's good time with old friends is ended by another old..."friend".

The bell rang, signaling the entrance of a customer and Ukyo turned to greet their new customer.

"Welcome to Uch-...oh, hello Akane."

Akane walked through the door, "Hi, Ukyo," She noticed Ryuu and snorted as she jerked a thumb at him, "Who's your friend?"

Ryuu's eyes narrowed but he didn't move to do anything. Ukyo narrowed her eyes as well but Akane didn't seem to notice. She did, however, notice Konatsu's hand clenched around a butcher knife that was very close to a strangely familiar piglet.

Akane squinted her eyes and moved closer, "Is that... it is! That's Pchan!" She exclaimed as she grabbed the piglet away from Konatsu's reach.

Ryuu heard Konatsu utter a faint, "damn it" and nodded in agreement. He really _did_ want that pork okinomiyaki...

Konatsu muttered but went on to make a pork okinomiyaki with the pork they had pre-made for the batter. Ryuu took notice and nodded his thanks.

Akane held and cuddled Pchan to her chest, "Poor, Pchan," she turned to Ukyo, "How come Konatsu almost beheaded him? Didn't you notice the bandana around his neck?" She sighed, frustrated, and turned in time to see Ryuu mocking her behind her back.

She fumed, "How dare you!" Ryuu gave her a bored look and humphed, "I don't have to stand here and take this!" She exclaimed as she stormed out the door.

Ryuu snorted, "No, but you could certainly lie down for it… bitch."

Konatsu handed Ryuu his plate, "Serves the girl right."

"I'm not even done with her yet. I have plans. Small plans, but plans none the less. She won't be the same once I leave," Ryuu said between bites.

Konatsu moved to make a second okinomiyaki but Ryuu stopped, "Nah, don't bother, I'm not that hungry anymore. Stupid Akane ruined my appetite."

They talked a bit more, most of it mocking and insulting Akane, before Ryuu paid for his meal and said his good-byes, leaving the two with two tickets for his concert.

* * *

Ryuu came across the park while he was wandering around town. Sitting on one of the benches near the lake he marveled at the simplistic beauty of the park. Sakura trees surrounded the lake, giving it a sort of romantic feel. 

After a couple minutes of just admiring the view and enjoying the peace, a flying panda flew into the lake and interrupted the peaceful view. Ryuu smirked as he watched the panda slowly make his way towards the edge of the lake. He knew exactly who the panda was, I mean, how many pandas wore glasses and walked around with a sake bottle?

Ryuu grabbed a thermos from sub-space and, after opening it, threw the contents at the panda. Where there was once a panda now stood a fat man with glasses who was balding and had a bottle of sake in his hand.

Genma, being the bastard he was walked forward, obviously not as drunk as he probably should've been, "Thank you, my boy. I should repay you for your kindness."

Ryuu introduced his fist to Genma's face when he tried to knock him out, and glared down at him, "Nice try, you old bastard. But I know all your tricks."

Genma stuttered up at the, to him, stranger, "H-how do you know?"

"You raised me you fat bastard. You tortured me for _the sake of the art_. 'It was for the good of the art' you said," He grabbed Genma by his collar and picked him up off the ground, "Guess what old man."

Genma simply gulped as Ryuu paused.

"The Wild Horse is back. And he's out for revenge."

The vicious beating that ensued is so gory and violent, that if I were to tell you the exact happenings that proceeded you would run screaming in horror away from your computer! So with that in mind, we'll simply say Genma got his ass kicked very viciously but a pissed off ex-son.

After beating Genma to within an inch of his life, and somehow keeping him conscious despite the pain, Ryuu splashed him with cold water and tied him up. He set up a portable grill and began sharpening a large butcher knife.

Ryuu set up a small stand for his recipe book and began thinking about what he wanted to make, "Hmm... Should I use panda rump, panda T-bone, or panda fillet mignone? T-bone sounds a bit painful to find...I think I'll use that."

Genma finally passed out from the pain and the fear that's suddenly gripped him. After he passed out, Ryuu waved away the illusion he'd created and placed a bracer on the panda's wrist. The bracer would lock Genma's form and eliminate the ability to use his ki.

He brought Genma over to the local Police station and handed the fat bastard over after demonstrating the curse a couple times, only removing the bracer once. After telling them everything Genma could do, and to never remove the bracer, he left.

Standing on the front steps of the building Ryuu took a deep breath and slowly released it, "Revenge is sweet."

Ryuu smiled widely and made his way back to hotel. He wanted to shower and change before the scheduled concert after all.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Tendo-ke we see Kasumi replacing Akane's shampoo and body wash with new, identical, bottles. 

Nabiki walked passed the doorway, checking in on her sister. She stopped, blinked several dozen times and pinched her self before blinking hard one more time. Her mind, unable to comprehend such an action coming from Kasumi, shuts down.

Kasumi blinked and the smirk that'd been in place before slipped from her face, "Oh my. That must've hurt..." She said as she picks the fainted Nabiki up and places her on her bed, "I'm so glad Ryuu-kun suggested taking up a bit of martial arts again, it would've been hard to carry Nabiki otherwise," She idly says as she walks off to finish her chores.

* * *

They had everything set up, the only thing they were waiting for was the signal for them to come out and play. It was 5 minutes later that they got they were introduced. 

As everyone walked out onto the stage Ryuu idly made note of who was there. _Ukyo, Konatsu, Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane, Ryoga, Mom, Xian, Cologne, and whoa, Mousse came too._

Ryuu put on a big smile for the audience, "Hellooo, Nerima!" A huge cheer, "I wanna thank you all for coming to see us ahead of time. Since I'll probably forget later." He smiled sheepishly as the crowd laughed, "Well, enough delaying, here's the first song. It's for the woman I purposefully left behind a little more then 4 years ago. It's called Open Wounds." (Owned by Skillet not me.)

_In the dark with the music on  
__Wishing I was somewhere else  
__Taking all your anger out on me, somebody help  
__I would rather rot alone  
__Then spend a minute with you  
__I'm gone, I'm gone_

_And you can't stop me from falling apart  
__'Cause my self-destruction is all your fault_

_How could you, how could you, how could you hate me?  
__When all I ever wanted to be was you?  
__How could you, how could you, how could you love me?  
__When all you ever gave me were open wounds?_

_Downstairs the enemy sleeps  
__Leaving the TV on  
__Watching all the dreams we had turn into static  
__Doesn't matter what I do  
__Nothing's gonna change  
__I'm never good enough_

_And you can't stop me from falling apart  
__'Cause my self-destruction is all your fault_

_How could you, how could you, how could you hate me?  
__When all I ever wanted to be was you?  
__How could you, how could you, how could you love me?  
__When all you ever gave me were open wounds?_

_Tell me why you broke me down and betrayed my trust in you  
__I'm not giving up, giving in when will this war end?  
__When will it end?_

_You can't stop me from falling apart  
__You can't stop me from falling apart  
__You can't stop me from falling apart  
__'Cause my self-destruction is all your fault_

_How could you, how could you, how could you hate me?  
__When all I ever wanted to be was you?  
__How could you, how could you, how could you love me?  
__When all you ever gave me were open wounds?_

The music faded and Ryuu waited until the crowd calmed down a bit before speaking.

"Now, this next song is for _all_ of the people I left behind. It's a bit out of style for us, but I have a feeling you'll all enjoy it anyway. This one is called Nobody's Listening." (Owned by Linkin Park, not me)

Kuoji, the guy they specifically asked for to help with the song, came out with his soundboard and then they began playing the song.

_Coming at you  
__Coming at you  
__Coming at you_

_Yo, peep the style and the kids checking for it  
__The number one question is  
__How could you ignore it  
__We drop right back in the cut, over basement tracks  
__With raps that got you backing this up like  
__(Rewind that)  
__We're just rolling with the rhythm  
__Rise from the ashes of stylistic division  
__With these non-stop lyrics of life living  
__Not to be forgotten but still unforgiven  
__But in the meantime there are those who wanna talk this and that  
__So I supposed that it gets to a point  
__Where feelings got to get hurt  
__And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt, it goes_

_Tried to give you warning  
__But everyone ignores me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening  
__Call to you so clearly  
__But you don't want to hear me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening_

_I've got a heart full of pain, head full of stress  
__Hand full of anger, held in my chest  
__And everything left is a waste of time  
__I hate my rhymes  
__(But hate everyone else's more)  
__I'm riding on the back of this pressure  
__Guessing that it's better I can't keep myself together  
__Because all this stress gave me something to write on  
__And the pain gave me something I can set my sights on  
__You never forget the blood, sweat, and tears  
__The uphill struggle over years  
__The fear and the trash talking and the people it was to  
__And the people that started it just like you_

_Tried to give you warning  
__But everyone ignores me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening  
__Call to you so clearly  
__But you don't want to hear me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening_

_I've got a heart full of pain, head full of stress  
__Hand full of anger, held in my chest  
__Uphill struggles, blood, sweat, and tears  
__Nothing to gain, everything to fear  
__Heart full of pain, head full of stress  
__Hand full of anger, held in my chest  
__Uphill struggle, blood, sweat, and tears  
__Nothing to gain, everything to fear  
__Heart full of pain_

_Tried to give you warning  
__But everyone ignores me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening  
__Call to you so clearly  
__But you don't want to hear me  
__(Told you everything loud and clear)  
__But nobody's listening_

_I've got a heart full of pain, head full of stress  
__(Nobody's listening)  
__Hand full of anger, held in my chest  
__(Nobody's listening)  
__Uphill struggle, blood, sweat, and tears  
__(Nobody's listening)  
__Nothing to gain, everything to fear  
__(Nobody's listening)_

_Coming at you  
__Coming at you  
__Coming at you  
__Coming at you from every side_

The music faded quickly and Ryuu drank from a bottle of water that he'd placed in one of the many pockets in his cargo jeans. As he did this Sam talked to the audience.

"The last song we're going to play for you was written...wait, when was it written?" She asked the band.

"It was supposedly written a couple weeks after Ryuu's departure from his home town. That's what the date in his notebook suggests," Jon said.

"The notebook never lies!" Ryuu exclaimed.

"Tis true. Now, the song's called Feel it in Your Heart," Mike announced. (Owned by Cold, not me)

The music started up and Ryuu kinda bobbed his head to the music as he got into the mood of the song.

_Can't run away from love  
__If you cannot feel  
__Everything falls apart  
__In a tragedy  
__I am so far away from gone  
__I just wanna be here  
__Everyone falls apart  
__In my symphony_

_Can you feel this in your heart?  
__Can you take it to your soul?  
__I don't want you to pretend  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_Feels like I'm torn apart  
__And I cannot bleed  
__Caught in the web we made  
__This just can't be real  
__I am so far away from gone  
__I just wanna be here  
__Everyone falls apart  
__In this tragedy_

_Can you feel this in your heart?  
__Can you take it to your soul?  
__I don't want you to pretend  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_Can you feel this in your heart?  
__Can you take it in your soul?  
__I don't want you to pretend  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_I don't wanna be alone  
__Everyday  
__I live through this  
__Inside  
__I've changed  
__Everyday  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_Can you feel this in your heart?  
__Can you take it to your soul?  
__I don't want you to pretend  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_Can you feel this in you heart?  
__Can you take it to your soul?  
__I don't want you to pretend  
__I don't wanna be alone_

_Inside  
__I changed  
__Everyday  
__I live through this  
__Inside  
__I've changed  
__Everyday  
__I live through this  
__Alone_

_I don't wanna be alone  
__I don't wanna be alone_

As the music faded once more Ryuu bowed to the audience and quickly made his way off stage. There was no party or meeting after the concert since they had to pack and shower quickly to catch their plane.

* * *

On the plane back to Jersey everyone was doing their own thing. Mike somehow convinced Jon to play video games with him. Sam was napping. Sasha was drinking a cup of water while watching Mike and Jon. And Ryuu was staring out the window solemnly. 

Sasha noticed Ryuu's attitude and walked over so she could sit his lap. She placed her cup in the cup holder and leaned into him, "What's wrong, handsome?"

Ryuu sighed and burrowed his face into the side of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Sasha leaned forward and turned a bit so she could grab his face in both her hands, "The Ryuu I know doesn't brood about 'nothing'."

He sighed again, this time in resignation, while grabbing her waist and moving her back to her previous position. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they both stared out the window in silence for a few moments.

"Promise you'll never me alone."

"Ryuu, you know-"

"I know, but...please. Just promise me..."

Sasha turned in his lap again and looked him straight in the eyes with a serious face, "I swear that for as long as there's still breath in _both_ our bodies, I'll never leave you alone," She smiled, "Besides, without me keeping your sorry ass behaved the earth would be in deep shit."

Ryuu laughed, grateful for the joke. He hugged her closer to him, "Good point."

Mike suddenly remembered something and pulled a small control from his pocket. On it was a shiny red button. He stared at the button evilly, " 'Let there be light!' the Kami proclaimed as he plugged the lamp in. And as the lamp sparked and short-circuited, his follower spoke," He presses the red shiny button and looks out the window, " 'Pretty fireworks.' "

Ryuu laughed as a small mushroom cloud appeared in the slowly disappearing Nerima, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

* * *

The scene briefly moves to the Tendo-ke where we see Akane running around panicking with neon green hair and blue tinted skin. Suon is wailing about how his "baby girl" is diseased. Nabiki is silently convulsing in laughter while trying to take decent pictures to send to Ryuu. And Kasumi is calmly sipping her tea. 

Over at the Kuno Mansion...

"Who dares terminate the honorable Kuno home?" A bunch of fireworks begin going off beneath Kuno's position, forcing him to dance around while trying to avoid being burnt.

* * *

Back on the plane Sasha is sitting comfortably in Ryuu's lap as they watch the fireworks coming from what was once the Kuno Mansion. 

Ryuu leaned into Sasha's ear and, the only sign of nervousness was in his eyes, he asked, "Sasha Metsuretsu...will you marry me?"

Sasha's eyes widened as she turned her head towards him and was silent for a moment, "You're serious, aren't you?"

Ryuu nodded, "More serious then I've ever been."

Sasha nodded back and leaned into him while closing her eyes, "I'd love to marry you."

Ryuu kissed her neck while he slipped the ring on her finger. It had a single karat diamond in the middle and two rubies on both sides of it, "I love you."

"I love you too, Ryuu, more than you'll probably ever know."

Ryuu chuckled, "Probably."

A single passionate kiss later, both were sound asleep in the other's embrace and suddenly all was right in the world. Well, for now anyway.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Woot! It's done! (Does happy dance) Gods, this was slightly easier to write then the last chapter. Still hard though. And yes, the ending _is_ a bit cliché, but you know what? It fits, so who cares? n.n

Now, all you have to do is review. Give me reviews. Reviews, reviews! (Hums) yee-ah!

Reviews welcome. Flames will be used fuel my flamethrowers so I can keep those damned lawyers away.

-Lov3the3vil


	14. Home Sweet Home

A/N: Ah, the joys of a job well done...(checks her hits) 841 hits and only 9 reviews...There is definitely something wrong with these stats. What happened? Are my chapters no longer worth reviewing? Oh well, hopefully I can get a few more reviews before I finish writing the chapter after this one. Alright, now to answer some questions.

**Ryo's destiny** - Akane is, as most know already, extremely dense. So, a day or two after Ryuu receives the photos from Nabiki, Akane will show up; having gathered the needed money to buy Ryuu's identity from Nabiki since she couldn't figure it out on her own. So there, hope that answered your question. n.n

**Starjacker** - You know, I was only going to have the dye last a couple days. But now that you mention it...I think it would be interesting to see how people react to a smurf-colored Akane in New Jersey...And don't worry about Ryoga, I'm far from finished with him. Here's a hint, (Sam: SUPPORT THE SPORKS!). If you don't get it...you'll just have to wait and see.

**ranma hibiki** - o.O I think you may need to read the "To Be Continued" at the end of the last chapter again. Yeah, the story _is_ coming to an end. I'm gonna try and tie everything up with the next two chapters then have an epilogue.

**goku** - Don't you worry, I'm not finished with Ryoga yet. The only hint I'm gonna give about his next torture is it involves Sam, a rusty spoon, and a spork.

And to everyone else who reviewed, a great big thanks to you all. You're the people I write for and you make every chapter worth writing. Now to the other 808 of you, when you're finished with this chapter, do me a favor, review with the other 9.

Now that I've exercised my kami-given right to complain, onto the newest chapter. Enjoy!

Home Sweet Home (Halloween Special)

I waited until Sasha had opened the door before placing the bags in their respective places (i.e. dumping them on the floor beside the front door) and walked leisurely into my room. I looked around at the small layer of dust that had begun to settle around the room without my presence there to clean it away.

I smiled, spun around in a slow circle taking in everything; from the fuzzy poster I'd colored and hung above my doorway, to the shelf that served as a head board of sorts for my bed; before flopping onto my bed and sighing a contented sigh.

"Kami, it's good to be home!"

Sasha leaned against my door jam and smiled at me, "Well, I'm so glad you enjoy the roof i put over your head. Now help me sort through the mail we while we were away."

I sat up and saluted, "Yes, ma'am!"

She giggled and I smiled wider, _That's the sweet melodic tune that makes my day brighter..._ I blinked, "Woah...I'm a poet..."

"Yeah, that usually happens when you become a song writer, Ryuu," Sasha answered casually as she turned and made her way into the kitchen.

I shrugged and followed behind her, admiring the way her ass swayed back and forth as she walked. What? She's my fiancée, that's like a god-given right! (ahem) Anyway, back to they story...

We walked into the kitchen and I just stopped and kinda stared at the mound of mail sitting on the table. We were gone what? A week and a half, two weeks? There must have been over 150 pieces of mail sitting on that table. And to tell you the truth, it kinda scared me. Don't ask why, it just did.

Sasha turned to me and gave me one of those looks that mortal men can't describe.

I blinked, "What?"

She sighed like I'd done something wrong, and I was quite sure I hadn't said anything wrong to my knowledge, "Are you going to help me sort the mail or not?"

I blinked again and shrugged, "Uh, I guess so." I walked over to the table and grabbed a small stack and began sorting the best I could.

"Mine, mine, mine, yours, yours, fanmail, junk, mine, yours, mine, yours, fanmail, fanmail, junk, yours, mine, yours, mine, fanmail, junk, junk, junk, junk, more junk..." And about an hour and a half later, "mine, yours, mine, fanmail, mine, fanmail, fanmail, fanmail, fanmail, more fanmail, oh and look at this! More fanmail."

Sasha sorted through the small pile of mail I'd sorted as hers, "Is it me, or is most of this pile bills?"

"It's just you. I think I threw a couple Victoria's Secret magazines in there too."

(-)

Several hours later, after sorting through all the mail and putting the fanmail in a large bag for tomorrow when the entire band got together, found me and Sasha lounging on the comfortable green couch in the den.

The fire was lit and crackling, we were spooned together on the couch, just enjoying each others company. And well, we were getting cozy, (thinks back on it)...maybe not. Okay, considering we were having a pillow fight we weren't exactly "getting cozy" on the couch.

I'm pretty sure Sasha started it, because somehow I ended up chasing her around the house with a pillow from the couch.

(-)

Sasha laughed as she ran around the couch, always trying to keep me on the other side.

I mock growled and jumped over the couch just slow enough for her to give a little yell and change direction. She ran passed the kitchen into the hall and stopped for a few moments before deciding to run into my room and close the door behind her.

I skidded to a halt in front of the bathroom door and barely missed colliding with it. I tried the doorknob and found it locked. I smirked and jogged into her room. Opening the window I grabbed the windowsill and swung myself up onto the roof.

(-)

Sasha backed away from the locked door when she heard Ryuu try and open it. She smiled when she heard him stop trying to open the door. Then her smile fell.

Ryuu's a devious little shit, he wouldn't just give up. He probably found another way into the room. Her eyes widened as she turned around.

"Oh shit, the window!" She moved to close it, but he swung into the room before she got close enough.

(-)

I smirked as I leapt through my bedroom window in time to hear her curse. I moved towards her like a tiger stalking his prey, since technically it was, before pouncing. Pun intended.

She released a small "Eek" before she fell onto my bed with me on top of her. I growled and kissed her neck while she laughed. After a moment she got her breathing under control, but only a bit, she was still breathing hard, couldn't imagine why though...

_Your halo's crooked, Ryuu._

It is? (Checks and straightens halo a bit) Thanks, Tony.

_Welcome._

Anyway, as I was saying, Sasha was breathing a bit hard and I still lay comfortably on top of her.

"You know, you make a good pillow," You could hear the smile I was wearing in my voice.

"You're a bastard, you know that?"

"No, last time I checked I knew who my father was," I removed my face from her neck after kissing her ear lobe once more, "Do you?"

That's about the time everything just stopped.

The laughter left her eyes suddenly and was replaced by sadness and anger. That was when I knew I'd screwed up big time and said something wrong.

In the 5-10 seconds it took to I quickly ran over what I might have said that had been wrong.

_"...I knew who my father was, do you?"_

My eyes widened, that was it. I stood up and made to grab Sasha's arm but she'd already unlocked the door and ran into her own room. I winced as she slammed the door and had to catch a picture frame that had begun it's descent from the top of my dresser.

I sat against the wall and stared at the picture for a moment before flipping it and staring at it right side up. It was a picture of me and Sasha that had been taken during the last Christmas. We had gotten caught under the mistletoe and Sam just happened to have a camera in her hand and viola, a "cute" picture of us together.

Now that I think about it, I think that's what really started out relationship. We would flirt but our flirting was never serious until shortly after the mistletoe incident, we couldn't help it. Or at least I couldn't, her lips had been so soft and sweet...

After that our flirting involved sneaking kisses when one least expected it. And if we were expected we ended up in a short lip lock. I shook my head, _This is no time to be reminiscing. But I can't...I'm no good at emotions..._

I sighed, _I have to try. A bad situation left alone only gets worse. Look what happened with-NO! I won't think of _her_. Sasha's isn't _her_. She's my fiancée...I love her...and I'm not gonna let her go._

I stood up, "I'm not gonna screw this up again."

(-)

I knocked on the door and waited for a few moments, I leaned my ear towards the door, "Sasha? Can I talk to you? Please?"

"No! Go away, damn it!"

I winced again, "Damn it, it's happening again..." I whispered to myself. I walked back into my room and swung up onto the roof. _It's happening again...no...fuck! I can't go through this again! I won't!_

I hung upside down just outside her window and peered through the glass, she was lying face down on her bed, face buried into the pillows a bit. I quietly opened the window and sat down on the window sill, the cool evening air chilling my bare arms.

I had one leg bent on the sill and the other leg hanging inside her room, "Sasha..." I whispered.

She didn't make a move to acknowledge me. She wasn't asleep, I could her as she cried as silently as she could. I got off the window sill and closed the window, no sense in freezing our asses off.

I walked over to her bed and put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to whatever Kami that was watching over me that she wouldn't flinch at my touch.

She didn't flinch. She pulled away completely. And with that simple movement my chest felt empty and my heart heavy.

I sat on the edge of her bed, hung my head and stared at my hands.

"Sasha..." I started hesitantly, "I'm _really_ sorry about what I said before...I mean...I wasn't thinking when I said...I'm not sure _what_ I was thinking, really...but..."

I turned my head a bit and saw her watching me fumble over my words. She hadn't moved from her previous position except to turn her head to look at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from the crying and there were still a few more tears.

I figured I was sort of getting somewhere so I kept going with my jumbled apology.

"But...I just remember seeing the pain and sadness in your eyes right after I said it, and I knew I'd done something wrong. I didn't realize it until I was on the floor...but...but I know I said something insensitive...and..."

I released a frustrated sigh, "Damn it, I'm babbling. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me. I have my flaws and working to fix them...I just didn't realize I still suffered from foot-in-mouth disease."

She still said nothing. And I moved to wipe the tears from her eyes, and when she didn't flinch or pull away I silently thanked whatever Kami was looking over me.

I gently wiped the tears from the one cheek I could see and laid down on my stomach a little below her so I could look up into her eyes.

I smiled sadly, "So can you forgive this flawed fool?"

Sasha sniffed, "I think I can manage that."

My smiled brightened and that imaginary weight was lifted. My chest didn't feel empty either. I sat up, "Good. For a second I thought you didn't love me anymore."

a moment later Sasha was sitting up and rubbing the hand she'd just slapped me with. I held a hand to my cheek, it hadn't hurt, but I was surprised that she'd actually slapped me. I mean, _really_ slapped me. She looked angry again and I somehow managed to shrink in my spot.

"How _dare_ you?" She seemed to hiss at me. I stayed silent, at a loss of what to say in return.

"How dare you doubt my love for you?"

I finally found my voice, "But...when I came in here...you flinched away from my touch..."

"That's because I was angry at you, idiot. You'd hurt my feelings with careless words," I stared wordlessly at her. Confused.

She sighed and moved forward to clasp my face in her hands. She leaned her forehead against mine and spoke again, "I was angry with you, but just because I'm angry doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to stop loving you."

I blinked, still a bit confused. She smiled slightly and touched her lips to mine.

"You're Ryuu, _my_ Ryuu, and the man I love. I love you because of who you are, flaws and all. And yes, we're going to have times where one of us is angry at the other, but that's what happens. We're not a perfect couple, Ryuu, no one is. But we love each other, a lot, and that's enough...isn't it?"

I thought about for a moment and managed to shake my head in the negative, "No, Sasha, it isn't enough. We can't just love each other."

She gave me a questioning look and I elaborated for her, "We can't just love each other. We have to want a life together as well. I've tried just loving and hoping things will pull themselves together, but it doesn't work that way," I took her hands in mine, "No, Sasha, we not only have to love each other, but we have to want this. With all of our heart and soul."

She looked me right in the eye and asked, "Do you want this?"

I nodded, "With everything I am," I kissed her hand, "I don't want to lose you Sasha. Not over something as petty as careless words."

She kissed my cheek, "You won't. We've made it this far after 4 years, Ryuu, we can make it the rest of the way," She pulled away and smiled, "Besides, you think a small comment like my not knowing my father would hurt me?"

I blinked and nodded slowly, "Uh...yeah. You kinda got mad at me after I said it so...I'm guessing it would."

Sasha sighed and looked out the window, "Okay, so I'm a little touchy about it..."

"A little?" I raised an eyebrow, "The first time I saw you throw a right hook so viciously was when someone made a rude comment about you being an orphan."

"Okay, so I'm more then a little touchy about it..."

I snorted and moved to say something else. But the look in her eyes made me shut up.

_There's something about the way a woman's eye twitches that warns a man of a dangerously pushing his luck towards castration._

Instead of commenting anymore I pulled her into my lap and hugged her to me tightly, "It doesn't matter anyway. Orphan or not, I love you, and you're mine."

She smirked up at me, "Getting possessive now, are we?"

"Damn my lack of subtlety."

She giggled and we watched the sky change colors through her window as the sun set and another day ended.

(-)

It was two days later that something...out of the ordinary, even for my life, occurred.

(-)

Sasha was in the den watching TV. I was bored out of my mind.

So what do I do?

I decide to look through Sasha's dresser drawers. Don't ask me why! I don't know! All I know is that I did and I found a pair of cool pants.

They were a dark, almost blackish, blue with neon green trim and a whole bunch of zippers on them. I pulled them out of the drawer and unfolded them.

"Woah...how cool..." I smiled and ran into my room. I took off my jeans and threw her pants on me. They were men's pants. What're the chances of that?

I opened my door and headed towards the front door, "Sasha! I'm going out for a bit!"

"Alright! I won't be here later on, I'm going to visit Sam for the night."

I nodded, knowing she couldn't see me, but doing so anyway, "Got'cha. Later!"

And then...

(-)

And then my memory gets fuzzy and I haven't got a friggin' as to what happened after that. All I know is I left the house and went to hang out with Mike and Jon.

This is the scene that happened the next morning.

(-)

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my ceiling.

"Woah...something smells like it's burning...or was burnt..." I looked down and found my clothes pretty much burnt to a crisp. Well, all except for my pants.

They were pristine. I swear to the Kami above that there wasn't a freakin' _smudge_ on the pants! I stared at them and looked at the clock, 10 in the morning.

I snuck out of the room and checked to find Sasha in the basement playing pool. I hurried back to her room and folded her pants and placed them in the same spot I'd found 'em. Then I hurried back to my room and grabbed a pair of fresh clothes for after my shower.

When I had finished my shower I did my best to forget the entire the incident. But I swear to you, Sasha had on this conspiratal smirk for the entire week. It was freaky.

(-)

And now that we've finished that random moment of insanity on to something more important. Like the week of Halloween, my favorite holiday _ever_, second only to Christmas.

The week went by kinda fast, but it had some highlights. The first being the pictures Nabiki managed to send to me.

(-)

I was sitting at the table when Sasha came back inside with a small pile of mail. She was looking through it as she walked and placed it on the table as she sat down. She handed me an envelope with my name on it as she looked through the latest What On Earth magazine.

I looked at the return address, "Tendo Nabiki", and I smiled. Opening the envelope I wasn't disappointed.

"Nabiki could always take the best pictures. Even while laughing," I said as I flipped through the pictures.

The pictures were of Akane as she ran around with her blue colored skin and neon green hair. She looked so angry her face had turned an interesting shade of purple. As I continued to look through the pictures, handing the ones I was finished with to Sasha, they got a bit more interesting.

Ryoga was laughing so hard he was tearing as Akane chased him with her famous mallet. Then Ryoga had a few lumps on his head and was now trying to comfort his angry fiancée. The result was Ryoga's head slammed into the living room floor.

I enjoyed looking through the pictures and Sasha enjoyed them as well. Considering she was tearing and laughing so hard her face was turning a bit red, I believe she really liked the photos. Or if not the photos, my prank.

(-)

Halloween came quickly. And so did my decorating. I spent hours creating everything. To the coffin and realistic skeleton residing in it, to having Tony teach me to elongate my eyeteeth for my costume.

The front lawn was a literal graveyard. There were actual headstone I'd created from scrap concrete at a construction site's junk pile with engraving I'd made using my ki claws. There was the skeleton and coffin I'd mentioned before. The coffin made of wood I'd found in Matt's backyard and the skeleton set up so he would look like he was crawling out of the coffin.

A grim reaper stood on the roof, overlooking the kiddies of my block. I stretched fake spider webbing across the entire porch, using branches from the backyard to create an entryway to the front door. Stuck in the web was small spiders and a fake, realistic looking, skeleton hanging entangled in the web.

At the end of the driveway I placed a wooden sign, "If ye be of 13 years and less, you may pass. If more than 13 then enter with caution, for vampires feed on those unwanted".

As you can tell, I enjoy what I do.

If you couldn't tell by the wooden sign, I'd decided to be a vampire for Halloween. But not just any vampire, what I call a shadow vampire. Dresses all in black and red and uses the shadows and darkness to their advantage.

Sasha? She's my "unwilling" vampire bride. Complete with fang marks on the neck and a form fitting red and black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She looked absolutely delectable if I do say so myself, and I do. And don't ask how I got her into the dress. I'm not exactly sure myself.

But that's beside the point; I spent the hour before our concert scaring the crap out of teenagers who happened to wander near the house.

(-)

I crouched on the roof, the perfect perch for those unsuspecting fools who look for candy around 6 at night. No one would suspect the vampire would be real, the grim reaper was done realistically enough, why couldn't the vampire be done like that as well?

Fools. I prey on those weak, unsuspecting fools who are older than 13...fools. Oh, wait, I said that already didn't I?

My thoughts were interrupted by the gently tap of the ladder touching the back of the roof. I ignored it and continued my look out until whoever was climbing reached the top.

A minute later I was once again lost in my musings then brought back by another noise. A voice this time.

"I hope you know this will never happen again."

I turned to face Sasha. She was wearing the dress I'd picked out for her as her costume. It a form fitting black dress with crimson red trim. I spared her a bit and let her wear her sneakers with it since you barely saw her feet in it anyway.

I smiled, "I know. But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts."

She started tapping her foot and I tilted my head, curious, "What?"

"What are you doing? You should be getting ready for the concert."

"I _am_ ready," I answered, standing up. I was wearing black pants, taken from the only tux I own, black long sleeve button-up shirt and a crimson red vest. Tied lightly around my neck was a black cape and my shoes were a pair of semi-formal black shoes. My eyeteeth were elongated and when I smiled I resembled Ryoga, just with slightly bigger fangs. And I wore contacts that turned my eyes a deep red.

Sasha nodded her head, "Alright, but you're gonna get me down from here. There's no way in hell I'm climbing back down that ladder in this dress."

"I thought the slit in the side gave you more mobility than normal dresses?"

"It does. Just not _that_ much mobility."

I nodded, "Alright," I scooped her up in my arms bridal style and jumped off the roof, scaring the begeezus out of the teens walking towards the house with silly string cans in their hands. I smiled at Sasha and gave her quick kiss, "I think the dress makes you look sexy, by the way."

She smiled back, a bit seductively, "The suit does the same for you, handsome."

I smiled, "You flatter me, Dear...Flattery will get you far in the world," I kissed once more before stalk-err walking towards the teens before the front yard.

"Can I help you, children?" I asked.

"We're not kids, old man!" One of the 2 yelled.

I nodded and kept silent, "What can this...old man...do for you?"

"Give us candy for one," The tallest said.

"I could. What is your age? 16? 17?" I asked.

"16," The brown haired kid said. And just for the hell of it, he's gonna be Bob. His friend's gonna be Joe.

I tilted my head, "Either of you two know how to read?" At their nods I pointed to my wooden sign, "Then use that knowledge and read."

And so they read. Paused. Then readied their cans of silly string.

I raised an eyebrow at them, "Beware the shadow vampires, for mortals cannot conceive our power," Bob raised his can and aimed, I simply smirked, "Don't blink."

He pressed down and fired the silly string, he also made the mistake of blinking. They looked around, freaked out.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

Joe looked around quickly, "What the-?" He looked at Bob, "Did you just poke me?"

Bob shook his head, "Nah, man."

They continued looking around for me. I spoke in my best Transylvanian accent, which was pretty damn good, "I will give you one more chance, mortals, leave or else."

They shrugged when they didn't see me.

"Good affects, old man. But not good enough to stop us..." Joe said while moving towards the coffin in the center of the yard. He shook his can and got ready to spray it.

"I think not," I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and slammed him, lightly, against the tree next to it.

His friend, Bob tried to silly string the coffin while I was busy with his friend. I slammed Joe into him and sent them flying to the end of the yard.

I released the Umi-senken and grabbed my cloak, spreading it out behind me, "Foolish mortals, you try my patience."

I glared and walked forward, "I will give you 5 seconds to stand up and run. Then I will hunt you and make you pay."

They stood and readied themselves to run. They got halfway across the street before I was done with them.

Their screams permeated the evening air. But of course, this is where earplugs come in. (smiles evilly)

(-)

I dusted my hands off, removed my earplugs, and stepped back to valuate my work.

Bob and Joe had been treated to an atomic wedgie each. Then tied up with string so they couldn't try anything funny. They were tied to chairs and I had wrapped a blindfold around their eyes and a small apple in each of their mouths to shut up their screaming.

Around Joe's neck is a cardboard sign that reads, "I'm 16 and tried to trick or treat at this house" and Bob has one that says, "This is what happens when you're over 13"

"And this is what happens when you piss off a martial artist like me," I said smiling. Another idea struck me and I got to work.

Twenty minutes later Sasha walked out the front door and locked it behind her, "Ryuu, you ready to leave?"

"Yeah," I shouted back as I put the finishing touches on my little project.

Sasha walked up beside me and read out loud, "To avoid confrontation please refrain from tricking. Take your treats and leave." She gave me one of those looks we men can't describe, "Real nice, Ryuu."

"Hey, I was polite wasn't I?"

She rolled her eyes at me as we walked, "Yay for small favors."

"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first."

"_Sure_, Ryuu, whatever you say."

(-)

We arrived at the bar shortly before we were due on stage. Uncle Dan was having a special, you got your first drink free if you came in with a costume on.

It was great to see all the costumes around us as we walked in. We had clowns, hippies, angels, angels of death, devils, demons, batman, Spiderman, Jason, scream, the grim reaper, and so on and so forth.

I left Sasha at the bar and jumped up onto the stage to greet the guys and Sam. Mike was a murdering groom; his tux was shredded and had fake blood all over it. Jon had gone with something easy to play the guitar with, he was a skater; something easy to be with his wardrobe. Sam was an Egyptian princess, think Jasmine from Aladdin, just with more flair and a passionate hate for preps.

We said our hellos before I walked up to the mike and everyone quieted down a bit.

"Alright people. Let's get into the Halloween mood shall we?" I smiled widely as I turned to the band, "Let's get this party started with a Ballroom Blitz!" (By Misfits, with a few changes of course.)

_Are you ready, Mike? Aha.  
__Sam? Yeah! Jon? OK.  
__All right, guys, let's do this!_

_Oh it's been getting so hard  
__Livin' with the things you do to me, aha  
__Oh my dreams are getting strange  
__I'd like to tell you everything I see  
__Oh, I see a man at the back  
__As a matter of fact his eyes are red as the sun  
__And a girl in the corner let no one ignore her  
__'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one_

_Oh, yeah, it was like lightening,  
__Everybody was frightening  
__And the music was soothing,  
__And they all started grooving_

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah  
__And the man at the back said  
__Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz  
__And the girl in the corner said  
__Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz_

_I'm reaching out for something  
__Touching nothing's all I ever do  
__Oh, I softly call you over  
__When you appear there's nothing left for you, aha  
__Now the man in the back  
__Is ready to crack as he raises his hands to the sky  
__And the girl in the corner is ev'ryone's mourner  
__She could kill you with a wink of her eye_

_Oh, yeah, it was electric, so frightfully hectic  
__And the band started leaving,  
__'Cause they all stopped breathing_

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah  
__And the man at the back said  
__Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz  
__And the girl in the corner said  
__Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz_

_Oh yeah, it was like lightening,  
__Everybody was frightening  
__And the music was soothing,  
__And they all started grooving_

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah  
__And the man in the back said  
__Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz  
__And the girl in the corner said  
__Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz  
__Ballroom blitz  
__  
It's it's a ballroom blitz, it's it's a ballroom blitz  
__It's it's a ballroom blitz, yeah, it's a ballroom blitz_

When the music stopped I smiled again, "Well now, here's a newly created song I made while on the tour we did recently. This one I created courtesy of Jon pointing out one of my 'philosophical' days."

I motioned for Jon to sit on the barstool I'd brought up from the bar and grabbed my guitar from the back. I stood back in front of the mike and grinned at Jon, "This one's called Drug Like." (By Action Action)

_I'm an angel with broken wings  
__Who's poisoning the night  
__With love, from me to you  
__  
I'm having an episode  
__Do you want a small bit part  
__I think you might, oh, I hope you do  
__  
Oh, baby, go so slowly  
__Nowhere, nothing, quiet softly_

_The world falls apart  
__In just seven days  
__It sinks to the bottom  
__In oceans of rain  
__The cure is so clear  
__The blood is astray  
__And everyone dies  
__Except for the rain_

_And I think that I'm  
__Starting to scare myself  
__And I think that I'm  
__Starting to scare myself_

_I hate myself and I want you to die  
__So insincere, swallowing ice  
__And it all, will render useless  
__  
Welcome to enhancement by affiliation  
__Time swept by in a hungry nation  
__And everybody's dancing  
__To get it off their chests  
__And everybody dies  
__No one gets to rest_

_Oh, baby, go so slowly  
__Nowhere, nothing, quiet softly_

_The world falls apart  
__In just seven days  
__It sinks to the bottom  
__In oceans of rain  
__The cure is so clear  
__The blood is astray  
__And everyone dies  
__Except for the rain  
__  
And I think that I'm  
__Starting to scare myself  
__And I think that I'm  
__Starting to scare myself_

_(And I think, and I think I'm  
__Starting to scare my self  
__And I think, and I think I'm  
__Starting to scare myself  
__And I think, and I think I'm  
__Starting to scare myself  
__And I think, and I think I'm  
__Starting to scare myself)_

_Go slow for the  
__Angels will fall  
__For the bitterness  
__Of this orgy god  
__Half lives  
__With secular law  
__Suspended in a drug like  
__In a drug like  
__In a drug like  
__In a drug like  
__State of bliss_

I put my guitar away in back and Jon stood up from the barstool.

"Alright, can we end this with a bang?" Mike asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, let's end this thing with a blast from the past."

Jon walked up to his mike, "If you know the song and you know the words feel free to sing along folks. We do this in honor of the Halloween spirit."

"That means we don't own the song," Mike explained.

"So keep away you blood sucking lawyers!" Sam yelled.

Jon:  
_It's astounding  
__Time is fleeting  
__Madness takes its toll  
__But listen closely..._

Sam:  
_Not for very much longer_

Mike:  
_I've got to keep control_

Ryuu:  
_I remember doing the time-warp  
__Drinking those moments when  
__The Blackness would hit me_

Sam:  
_And the void would be calling..._

All:  
_Let's do the time-warp again  
__Let's do the time-warp again_

Ryuu:  
_It's just a bump to the left_

All:  
_And then a step to the right_

Ryuu:  
_Put your hands on your hips_

All:  
_You bring your knees in tight  
__But it's the pelvic thrust  
__That really drives you insane  
__Let's do the time-warp again  
__Let's do the time-warp again_

Sam:  
_It's so dreamy, oh fantasy free me  
__So you can't see me, no, not at all  
__In another dimension, with  
__Voyeuristic intention  
__Well secluded, I see all_

Jon:  
_With a bit of a mind flip_

Sam:  
_You're into the time slip_

Mike:  
_And nothing can ever be the same_

Sam:  
_You're spaced out on sensation_

Ryuu:  
_Like you're under sedation_

All:  
_Let's do the time warp again  
__Let's do the time warp again_

Ryuu and Mike:  
_Well I was walking down the street  
__Just a-having a think  
__When a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink  
__He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise  
__He had a pickup truck  
__And the devil's eyes  
__He stared at me and I felt a change  
__Time meant nothing, never would again_

All:  
_Let's do the time-warp again  
__Let's do the time-warp again_

Ryuu:  
_It's just a jump to the left_

All:  
_And then a step to the right_

Ryuu:  
_Put you hands on your hips_

All:  
_You bring your knees in tight  
__But it's the pelvic thrust  
__That really drives you insane  
__Let's do the time-warp again  
__Let's do the time-warp again_

I laughed and watched a sole figure stand confused in the back. You wanna know who she is? Well let me jog your memory, the only smurf in existence with neon green hair and pet pig.

If you can't figure it out please go back and read the scene where I talk about the pictures Nabiki sent me.

"Alright, everybody, I'd love to stay on stage and perform, but I'm gonna go hang out with my friends and mingle and generally enjoy the rest of the night. I hope all of you will stay a little longer and mingle and drink and all that good stuff."

We all stood and bowed to the crowd, "Have an excellent Hallow's Eve folks!"

We mingled and sat at the bar drinking and enjoying ourselves when we were interrupted by a familiar blue face.

Mike jumped a bit, "Woah, nice costume lady."

Akane's face turned one shade towards purple. I turned and smiled, "Hey, Tendo-san. Pleasure to meet you, Nabiki's told me so much about you and-"

"Cut the bullshit, Ranma."

I blinked, "Wow. You sure have learned some new words since I left."

"Whatever, when are you going to cut the shit and come home, Ranma," Akane asked.

I looked around, "Look around, Akane, I _am_ home."

"No, you're not, Ranma, you're home is at the Tendo-ke, where you belong."

I shook my head, "You don't get it, Akane. When I left the Tendo-ke 4 years ago, I didn't just leave you behind, I left the Saotome name behind as well."

"Yeah, and, what's your point?" She put one of her hands on her hips and continued to hold Ryoga with the other.

I grabbed her arm and lead her, protesting, pig, neon hair and all, outside to talk privately. Sasha followed but the others stayed behind.

"Look, Akane, look at this field. What do you see?" I asked her.

"I see field full of crap, why?"

"Well I see a skate park that took hours of work to put together. The blood and sweat of my best friends. I see a hang out spot and good memories. _That's_ what I see."

"It doesn't matter. You _belong_ in Japan, Ranma, it's the land of your birth!"

I blinked at her, "Is that the best you could come up with for an argument? I mean, seriously, Akane, do you _listen_ to yourself when you talk?"

An aura sprang about her form, "Ranma no baka! Don't mock me!" She grabbed her ever-famous mallet and tried to mallet to me.

An explosion of wooden debris later and I stood there in front of Akane ready to dish out my opinions.

"This is why I left, Akane, because I can't trust you. And you could never trust me. We would never have worked out. Maybe the fact that I caught you with Ryoga all turned out for the best..." I trailed off.

"Ranma, I-" Her aura had winked out.

"My name is _Ryuu_, Akane, not Ranma. It hasn't been Ranma for almost 5 years. And it won't be Ranma ever again. Ranma Saotome is _dead_, in his place stands Ryuu Mouoko. Lead singer and song writer for Misunderstanding Scars and fiancée to Sasha Metsuretsu, the woman I love," I stood tall and stared at Akane.

She looked at me before speaking, "Ra-...Ryuu, please...come back to Japan. Everyone misses you and they want you to come back."

"That's bullshit, Akane, and you know it. I was there not two weeks ago and everyone was doing perfectly fine," I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Ukyo-"

"Is enjoying a relationship with Konatsu and is happier than I've seen her in years."

"Kasumi-"

"Misses me and is welcome to come visit anytime she likes, as is Nabiki and my mother."

"Damn it, Ryuu, I've tried to be nice. But enough is enough. You're _mine_ and I say you're coming back to Japan!" Akane snarled.

"You don't _get_ it, _do_ you, Akane?" I snarled back, "I'm _not_ going back! I've found a new home, and I'm _staying_! Regardless of whatever the hell you think!"

"You god-damned, ungrateful, cowardly-"

**SMACK!**

Akane staggered a little at the power from behind Sasha's slap.

"How _dare_ you accuse _Ryuu_ of being the coward!" Sasha snarled and I kinda stood there astonished as Akane stood there dumbstruck that someone had _hit_ her, "Ryuu is the most honorable and brave man I know!"

Before Akane could retort in any way Sasha had continued, "He may have his flaws, but that's what makes us human. I'm willing to accept him as he is and love him to the best of my abilities. You weren't, you gave him up for another man who wasn't _half_ as honorable-"

"Or handsome," I added from the sidelines.

"- as my fiancée. And if you can't accept that you gave up probably was the best thing to have happened to pitiful life then that's just too damn bad, huh?" Sasha finished and was breathing a bit heavy.

I walked up and wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug, "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"No," She answered, leaning back into me.

"Well I love you...a lot..."

"A lot?"

"I can't prove much more than 'a lot' in public."

"Whatever works, lover boy."

I looked over her shoulder to see Akane still standing dumbstruck, "Akane. Yo, Akane!"

She jumped a bit, "What?"

"Go home. Don't come back, ever," I said. As she turned a thought came to me and I smiled evilly, "Oh, and when you get to wherever you're staying, give Pchan a bath will you? I can smell him from here."

Akane absently nodded but didn't stop walking. As the door closed behind her Sasha turned around and gave me a proper hug. After a minute long kiss I laughed.

"I can't believe you bitch slapped her."

She smiled, "She deserved it. No one bad mouths _my_ fiancée."

"She had it coming for a long time anyway," I said. I tilted my head, "What do you say we head back inside and say good-bye to everyone. I wanna go home."

Sasha nodded and lead me by the hand towards the door, "We have to take care of the kiddies trick or treating tonight anyway."

We said good-bye, headed home, and relaxed for the rest of the night. Occasionally getting up to answer the door and every once in a while silly string the teens still tied and gagged on my front lawn.

We ate candy, watched horror movies, made out a bit, and then fell asleep on the couch.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! Go me! Hopefully the next chapter will be out just as quickly, but don't get your hopes up too high, it might not happen. But that's beside the point. Anyway, I need you all to review. Reviews help me work.

SO REVIEW DAMN IT!

Until next time, readers, bye!

-Lov3the3vil


	15. Next Contestant

A/N: Yeah, I know, it's been a while. So I'll shut up and get straight to the chapter. And I'll answer any reviews either at the end or in the next chapter. Enjoy.

Next Contestant

I woke up the next morning shortly after sunrise. I was still on the couch with Sasha, the blanket that had covered us the night before had fallen off the couch and Sasha was now cuddled into my chest. Her hands gripping my shirt in her sleep I smiled down at her.

I tried my best to get off the couch without disturbing her, only getting so far as the coffee table, about 2 feet, before she "woke up".

"Where are you going?" She asked, still half asleep.

"I'm going to go out for a few hours, you know, training and all that," I said quietly.

"Oh...okay..." And she rolled over; shifting so she would be laying in the spot I'd been in moments before. Afterwards she promptly fell asleep.

Still smiling I made my way into the bathroom for a nice hot shower. After that I got dressed and made my way to the empty field just outside town. I spent three, almost four, hours just training my ass off. Katas, shadow sparring, more katas, and a nap.

By the time I decided to leave the field I believe I smelt very much like nature intended. Sweaty. Did I mention I had patches of dirt spread on me? Yeah, I had dirt on me too. (Smiles) Anyway, back to my life.

I didn't get more than halfway home when a terrible and frightening sight met me.

(-)

"Oh, hi Akane," Ryuu said as he stopped walking. He would've kept moving but the smurf-I mean Akane, was standing in his way.

"I'm not through with you, Ranma," She said.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow, "You do realize that I don't give a damn, right?"

"Well you should!"

"Well I don't. You lost this fight the moment you decided to sleep with Ryoga," He moved to go around her, but she stepped in the way.

"Damn it, Ranma, you're not going to just walk away as if nothing happened!"

Ryuu stopped and stared her in the eyes, "We're in public, Akane, you wanna fight and argue we can deal with your stubborn bullshit somewhere else and away from prying eyes."

Akane fumed at him, angry for being defied, but followed him nonetheless. Being a stranger to the town warranted getting lost very easily. She followed Ryuu through the streets and was led to Uncle Dan's bar, the place she had argued with him previously. Only this time she was led into a secluded room in the back.

It was a storage room of sorts, if the piled boxes were any indication. The boxes were positioned so there was a decent sized space in the center of the room. In that space sat a folding table with 5 chairs.

"Sometimes me and the guys play poker, usually strip poker if the girls wanna join," Ryuu explained as he closed the door behind Akane.

Akane nodded, though she developed a slight twitch at his strip poker comment, _Stupid pervert..._

He grabbed a chair and sat down on it backwards, leaning his arms on the backrest and resting his chin on his forearms, "Now onto why I brought you here," He sat up a little and raised his chin from his forearms, "What the fuck do you want from me?"

Akane's eyes narrowed at his words, "I want you to come back to Nerima, damn it, I told you this already."

Ryuu's own eyes turned to slits, his pupils becoming cat-like in nature, "You know, I just don't get you, Akane. First, you drive me off by sleeping with Ryoga, which I consider you a two-timing bitch for, by the way. And now you're trying to get me back to Nerima."

He paused and tilted his head, "What I don't get is _why_? Why do you want me to go back? You have a man that you were willing to sleep with despite already having a fiancée, so it couldn't be for love," He mused.

Akane didn't hesitate, but it didn't seem like she thought over her answer much either, "Because you're supposed to be in Nerima so...so..."

"So I can be your punching bag?" Ryuu finished.

"No, I-God damn it, Ranma, stop confusing me and just come home already!"

"I'm not confusing you, you stupid bitch, I'm trying to get a fucking answer out of you!"

Akane looked like she was going to continue arguing but stopped when Ryuu stood and held out a hand, silencing her, "Look, it's painfully clear to me now that you're _never_ going to shut up, nor are words going to get through your thick fucking skull. So we'll finish this my way."

Ryuu looked her in the eyes, "I, Ryuu Mouko, challenge you, Akane Tendo, to a handicapped fight for my freedom of choice. Do you accept?"

Akane sputtered for a moment before straightening her posture, "Of course I accept! Who do you think I am?"

Ryuu pushed passed her muttering to himself, "If I were to express my thought we'd have to change the rating of this story."

Akane blinked, "Wait, what story?" He didn't stop or answer her question. She jogged after him, "Hey, wait for me!"

"No," He walked down the hall and stopped at the heavy steel door leading outside to the lot behind the building, he pointed to the ground in front of the door, "Stay here."

Sam was handing drinks to a couple by one of the window tables when Ryuu walked up to her. She turned around and smiled.

"What's up?"

He motioned towards Akane who stood fuming by the backdoor, "I'm going to fight her in a handicapped match. I need a witness so she can't say I cheated."

"How will I know if you _don't_?"

"You won't, but I won't. So you don't have to worry."

Sam just blinked and nodded slowly, "I'm...going to pretend I understood that and follow you outside now."

Ryuu smiled and patted her on the head, "Good girl."

They both walked to the back door and opened it, presenting the skate park to Akane once more. Walking outside, Ryuu and Akane stood opposite each other; Ryuu removed his tank top and threw it on top of one of the ramps that littered the lot.

"The rules of the fight is Anything Goes for you, Akane," Ryuu said, "During the fight I will be handicapped. In that I can't use anything outside of combos consisting of basics. No ki attacks, no weapons, no special moves."

Akane nodded and got into a fighting stance. Sam nodded and stepped a bit closer, but not too closer that she didn't have enough time to run out of the way, just close enough to be in sight...kind of.

Sam raised her arm, "Both fighters understand the rules?" At their nods Sam dropped her arm, signaling the beginning of the fight.

Ryuu took up his usual, "lazy man" stance. Hands in his pockets, posture slouched, head tilted. Akane rushed at him, only a little bit faster than when he last saw her in Nerima. A punch to Ryuu's head was dodged by mere millimeters.

"Nope," Ryuu ducked a roundhouse kick to his head, "Nuh-uh," He leaned back to avoid another two kicks, "Woah, I should take up limbo..."

Sam was already smiling at Ryuu's obvious teasing, "Oh, oh! Start taunting her! That should prove fun."

Ryuu nodded as a step two feet to the left avoided an axe kick, "Still too slow," A twist to the right avoided a front-snap kick, "Thighs are too thick," Another twist avoided that blasted mallet of hers, "Built like a stick," A jump over her sweep kick and then side step a double punch combo, "Dumb as a brick, macho chick," A front snap kick to the groin avoided by standing on Akane's foot, which was still raised in the air, "Can't even kick."

Akane let her leg fall quickly and Ryuu faded from sight momentarily. He reappeared behind her and poked her in the back of the head, "Boo!"

She jumped and spun around quickly with another roundhouse to his head. Instead of dodging he pushed her leg farther to the side, continuing her momentum and actually speeding her spin up a bit. Akane wasn't expecting to do a complete 180 on one foot, so she lost her balance and fell on her ass.

Ryuu laughed, "Dumbass!"

"Augh! Stay _still_, damn it!" Akane stood up, albeit a bit wobbly since she was still slightly dizzy.

Ryuu sighed, "All right, fine, here," He opened his arms open wide, "Go ahead, you get one free shot anywhere that isn't below the belt. And I won't block."

Akane wiped the dirt from her ass before getting into her fighting stance once more. She silently prepped herself and tried tapping into her ki. If she was going to get one free shot at "the wild horse" she was going to give it her all.

Ryuu smirked as Akane's fist began glowing a dark red. He was proud of her, although he'd take _that_ to his grave, for channeling her ki. Even as she charged at him he knew it wasn't going to be enough to cause more than a few scratches.

With the loud smack of flesh meeting flesh Ryuu was thrown sideways into one of the ramps. Sliding up the ramp he stopped as his head dropped off the plank of the wood. He stayed down, staring at the upside down graffiti covered wall several yards away. Deep in his thoughts he silently wondered how good she could've become in the martial arts had he agreed to train her. A moment later he beat back that thought with a metal bat, _The stupid tomboy wouldn't have agreed to let me train her long enough to accomplish anything anyway._

He sat up and rubbed his jaw, "Nice right hook..." Standing up Ryuu smirked, "Now it's _my_ turn."

Ryuu stalked towards her and fell forward onto his hands, always looking Akane in the eyes. His body slowly changed into his cursed tiger form and he bared his fangs. Growling he started running at her and pounced, pinning her underneath him, he snapped his teeth at her face and made sure to barely miss or only graze the skin.

He snapped at her face once more before moving his muzzle to the side and near her ear. Transforming back into his human form he spoke, "Are you afraid yet, Akane?"

Ryuu sat up, straddling Akane's waist, and smirked evilly before saying the name of his technique, "Kachuu Tenshin Amuguriken, Revised! Bitch slap for sissies!" And he unleashed several hundred weak bitch slaps upon her.

When he was finished he leaned down a bit, he knew she was close to unconsciousness, she just needed a push. He smiled lecherously and leered at her, "No time for sleep, Akane-chan, I'm only just beginning to have fun..."

He trailed off as she fainted into unconsciousness, "Point, set, game."

As Ryuu stood up and wiped the dirt from his knees Sam walked over to him, "What was that rule about _no special techniques_?"

Ryuu gave an innocent smile and avoided eye contact, "What rule?"

She sighed, "Your halo's crooked."

He blinked, "It is?" He looked up as if seeing the imaginary halo, "Stupid horns, always tilting my halo..."

"You should get that looked at, it isn't natural."

"I really should...but I'm too lazy."

"Surprise, surprise."

Ryuu was about to follow Sam back into the bar but he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. Sam turned back to him, "You coming?"

"Huh," He turned back to Sam, "Oh, yeah, you go ahead inside, I'll be there in a bit. I, uh, forgot to grab my shirt."

"Yu-huh," Sam nodded and turned and continued on her way, "Whatever you say, Ryuu."

"Hm..." Ryuu turned towards where he'd seen the movement but saw nothing special. Shrugging he moved to retrieve his tank top. As he walked towards the ramp he'd thrown it on he idly glanced at Akane, he wasn't too surprised to see a little black piglet trying to wake her.

"Ah, Ryoga, so nice to see you," He said walking towards the piglet and picking him up by the bandanna, "Me and you have some things to discuss pig boy."

"Bwee bu-kwee!" (Translation: Stop calling me pig-boy!)

"Yeah, whatever that means, I don't care," Ryuu responded as he threw the piglet high enough into the air that he could put his tank top on and catch him afterwards.

His tank top back in place and the piglet once again in his hands, Ryuu produced a cup of hot water from nowhere and poured it over Ryoga's cursed form. Ryuu quickly closed his eyes and handed him a pair of slacks he kept in one of his subspace pockets for some reason.

"Dude, get dressed. Seriously, no one wants to see that."

Ryoga blushed, forgetting his normal anger long enough to put the slacks on. After getting as dressed as he was going to get without his pack nearby, Ryoga remembered his anger and narrowed his eyes at Ryuu.

"Honor-less bastard!"

Ryuu smiled, "You know, I'm sick and tired of your shit. And I think it's time I showed you how much I've been holding back on you, bacon-breath," Ryuu willed his canines to lengthen and, to any who could see ki, he activated his Neko-ken.

His smile turned into a smirk, "I'm suddenly in the mood for some vicious beatings, what do you think, Ryoga?"

Ryoga stuttered and got no further in the formation of words outside of an intelligent, "Shit" before turning and running. If possible Ryuu's smirk grew wider, "I've always wanted to play cat and mouse, or should I say tiger and pig?"

_That was a horrible joke,_ Tony said.

_Shut up, no one asked you!_ Ryuu replied.

_I couldn't care less. And if you must name the chase, call it "The Hunt", it sounds so much better,_ Tony said.

Ryuu nodded as he ran after Ryoga, _Yeah, I guess so, not as corny either._

Several minutes later and Ryuu was still sporting a wide smile. He was hanging off the edge of the corner of a building with a hand above his eyes to block the sunlight, "Ryoga!" He sing-songed, "Where are you?"

A flash of flesh and black appeared briefly in the alley across from him. After hopping down from the building he jogged into the alley and pouted, "Damn it, he disappeared, and I was so looking forward to his beat down too..."

He suddenly smiled and walked out of the alley, "Oh well, he'll show up again sooner or later," He turned down a sidewalk and put his arms behind his head before whistling a tune only he knew while walking home.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Sorry for the shortness, but I _really_ wanted to get this posted before Christmas. Hope this'll hold you over until the next chapter, which, hopefully, won't be as long in coming. As for MS, there will be a few more chapters than I expected. 2, perhaps 3, more chapters should be in the works very soon. Until then, here are the answers to your reviews.

**Reviews:**

**Wonderbee31-** That's the image I was trying to get out with their little "lover's spat". Glad to see it worked.

**Mikeblade-** I'm glad you enjoy reading stories. The next chapter for Sandman Hand Me A Dream is in the process of being written. As for Masquerade...that one has been put on hiatus until further notice.

**SouryuofHeaven**- I'm glad you like my story so much.

**ranma hibiki-** I am suddenly reminded of Pill-z from the Foamy flash videos...

**Daniel Shinigami**- So, yeah, where are those new stories? n.n

**Ryan L. Spradling**- The wedding will be soon, it'll be vague, but it'll happen.

**Special thanks to Ryan L. Spradling for e-mailing me almost daily and threatening me with bodily harm if I didn't update before Christmas. So, THANK YOU!**

**And a huge thanks to everyone else who reviewed, I LOVE YOU ALL!**

(Laughing) Hope all of you enjoyed the chapter. And for those of you think that Ryoga should get his ass kicked really soon, cause I know you people are out there, it'll happen. Really soon. Like, next chapter...maybe. (Grin)

Once again, a huge thanks to all reviewed. And all who shall review for _this_ chapter. Cause I know you're all going to review after you read. Right? Right?

As always, reviews are welcome and flames will be used to keep away the lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil

**_AND A HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM EVERYONE AT PYRO PRODUCTIONS!_**


	16. Live For Today

A/N: Alright, I'm gonna answer the few reviews I got last chapter then I'm gonna head straight to the chapter.

**Reviews:  
****ranma hibiki - **Yeah, the short name works better. Rolls off the tongue easier, ya know? n.n

**JustCurious - **Ah, yes. The hybrid question...one I've asked myself quite often. I thought about it...and thought about it...and thought some more. And in the end came to two conclusions. Ryuu isn't going to run into anything that'd warrant a hybrid form, therefore making it sort of a moot point. And the second conclusion I came to was: Thinking hurts.

**Ryan L. Spradling - **You know, it's easier to read your story if I'm not being held at sword point...

**Ryo's Destiny - **Ryoga gets abused like he does cause he's the reason Ryuu left Nerima...then again I guess we should actually be thanking him for that, huh?

**neko - **I checked out the lyrics to that song and wasn't too into lyrics being used. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Okay, onto the chapter.

Live For Today

Last time I left you guys I was walking home from my pig hunt. Which occurred right after I handed Akane's ass to her.

Well, as you all probably guessed, when Akane regained consciousness she denied having lost and accused me of cheating. Which technically I did. But she wouldn't have beaten me anyway. I didn't argue with her, mostly because I wasn't around to hear her denials.

I heard all that from Sam who was around when Akane woke up. Of course I heard all about this after I got a speech from Sasha about treating women right. And "even though she made you leave Japan you should still try to be nice."

Afterwards I'd pointed out that she'd bitch slapped Akane. Sasha simply blushed in response and sent me into the kitchen to make us some lunch.

Are we all caught up now? Good.

The rest of the week was uneventful. Just full of relaxation and laziness. The week after Sasha and Sam got together and began making preparations for the wedding. I had nothing to do with that because apparently I have a bad taste with it.

I was fine being left out. Meant I could sleep late and all that. It wasn't until I was forced to get my tuxedo fitted that I had to do anything involving the wedding...

(-)

Ryuu sighed for the umpteenth time in the past 10 minutes as he stood with his arms wide and allowed the tailor to take his measurements. He had had to remove his shirt and pants, thus he was simply wearing his black silk boxers.

Sasha sat off to the side, admiring the view. Sam sat next to her and poked the daydreaming girl next to her. Finally Sam got tired of poking and hit Sasha on the head with her water bottle. Said girl lowered her head from the blow, blinked, and turned to face Sam.

"What?"

"Stop staring at Ryuu's eight pack."

"Why? He's my fiance, I'm allowed."

"That's fine and all, but must you also drool and daydream?"

"Yes."

Sam sighed again and turned to Ryuu with half-lidded eyes as if saying, "Somehow this is all your fault."

Ryuu gave a sheepish smile and shrugged, "So I rubbed off on her. It was bound to happen."

The tailor gave him an annoyed look and Ryuu responded with an apologetic smile before working on keeping his arms straight out and raised. With his arms still raised Ryuu asked, "Are you almost done with the measurements?"

The tailor nodded, "I just need your waist size and then we're finished here."

"Thank the Kami..." Ryuu muttered as he let the tailor do her job. (Did you seriously think it was _guy_ taking his measurements? C'mon, who would've turned down the chance to see Ryuu in only his boxers? I know I wouldn't. n.n )

Once she was finished he put his pants on and was about to put his shirt on when he had a better idea. Sasha was talking to Sam and had her back to Ryuu, therefore she didn't notice Ryuu sneak up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him as he placed light kisses on the side of her neck.

"Geezus, will the two of you get a room?" Sam said in an exasperated tone.

Ryuu smirked and looked around. He noticed a dressing room off to the side and began dragging Sasha towards it, "I think we can manage that..."

Sasha shrieked in surprise and struggled in his grasp, "No! Ryuu! Not in public!"

Ryuu gave her an innocent look as she turned in his arms to face him, "But if we go in the room over there it wouldn't be in public..." He trailed off and tilted his head, "And besides, don't you wanna be pressed tightly against my rock hard muscles? I know you like that," He flexed one of his arms and gave an evil smile as Sam stuck her fingers in her ears.

"La la la la la la la! I can't hear you!" She sang loudly.

Ryuu and Sasha laughed at her as Ryuu moved to put his shirt back on. Once he was fully dressed he turned to Sasha again, "Are we done here?"

Sasha replied with, "Yeah, your tux is all picked out, we just needed your measurements."

Ryuu nodded as they made their way out of the store. It was time to decide on the wedding bands and Ryuu was coming along for the ride.

As they walked they talked about unimportant subjects. Well, unimportant subjects to Ryuu anyway. As such he was barely paying attention to Sasha's ass as it swayed in front of him and he let his mind wonder on more important subjects, like what he was going to do during the honeymoon...

"So who are we inviting from Japan?" Sam asked.

Sasha thought it over for a few moments, "Actually, I don't know. Maybe Ryuu should be in charge of that..."

Ryuu blinked and joined them in reality, "Wait, what should Ryuu be in charge of?"

Sasha turned her head towards him so she could see him in her peripheral vision, "We want you to be in charge of inviting people to our wedding."

Ryuu tilted his head, "Why? I already invited my Mom, Kasumi, and Nabiki."

"What about that nice man from the bar? Ryo?" Sasha asked.

"I can send him a letter. And while I'm at it I'll send one to Saori and Akashi..." He trailed off.

"Who?"

"Sakura's parents."

Sasha nodded in understanding as Sam gave them a weird look. Sasha noticed it and said, "Long story," Sam nodded slowly but gave her a look that promised an interrogation later on in the day without Ryuu's presence.

The 3 of them approached the jeweler's shop a couple minutes later and entered the building. The girls moved over to the display with the golden rings and stared at all the stones.

Ryuu stood next to the door staring at all the shiny objects. Sam noticed and pointed this out to Sasha, who sighed and went over to him. She waved a hand in front of his face a few times, trying to get a reaction, before grabbing his ear and dragging him over to the display case containing wedding bands.

She pointed to the case, "Any of them catch your eye?"

"I think the whole _store_ catches his eye, Sasha," Sam said.

Ryuu pointed to one of the rings. It was a plain golden band with a tiny rope-like design that ran across the top and bottom edges of the ring. Sasha looked at the band and nodded, obviously pleased with his choice, as Sam called one of the jeweler ladies over.

"We'd like to see that plain golden band there, please," Sam said pointed to the ring. Meanwhile Ryuu made his way over to a more shiny case. It held many diamonds.

The woman nodded, "Looking for wedding bands are we?"

Sasha nodded, "Yes, me and the spaced-out lug over there are getting married. He surprisingly chose a nice ring..."

"Oh...so many shiny stones..."

A sweat drop formed on the back of all three women's heads as Ryuu stood caught in awe as the light glinted off the diamonds and various stones and gave off a rainbow-like shine.

(-)

And I stayed that way the entire time we were there, only moving when they needed my ring size. After we were done there we went to TJ's Heros for lunch. And after lunch we all went home to relax until that night's concert.

There wasn't much going on either. Sasha and me simply hung out around the house, occasionally moving to the basement for some video games and flirting. I must admit, the flirting has become more fun since we got engaged. Mostly because each line spoken seems more of a promise than a simple flirtatious thought.

(-)

"Hmm...you know, Chun Li's boobs seem to move around a lot in this game."

"You _would_ notice that wouldn't you."

"If you jumped around more often I'd watch _your_ boobs move and jiggle."

"It's going to take time to get used to this again."

"What? The flirting or the jiggly boobs?"

(-)

After much flirting, and lots of blushing on Sasha's part, the time for our show at the bar came. And we left the house heading towards Uncle Dan's with hopes of getting a drink before having to get on stage.

(-)

Ryuu gulped down the light green soda greedily and enjoyed the cool feeling of the liquid as it slid down his throat, "Ah! So refreshing..." He sighed and slouched on his stool.

"Who knew Mountain Dew could make someone so happy?" Sam said.

"I didn't. But then again, Ryuu has never ceased to surprise us," Jon said from behind Ryuu. In his hand was a glass of water and the ice cubes clinked against the glass as he swirled it.

"The day Ryuu runs out of surprises is the day I take a liking to the opposite sex," Mike declared from beside Sam. His choice of drink having been Pepsi the sugar was already running through his veins, Pepsi was what he preferred to drink before a show. His theory being it helped him hit the right notes at the right time.

"Well, finish your drinks guys, the show's supposed to start in a few minutes," Dan spoke as he served a man off to the side his drink.

"Cheers to a good show," Ryuu said as he raised his glass. The others raised their glasses to tap his with an assorted reply of, "Hear, hear."

A minute later, after chugging their drinks, they were on the stage and prepared for their first song. As the people gathered quieted down there was no announcement. Sam introduced the song of choice, "Live For Today," and they began playing. (Song by 3 Doors Down)

_Show me the road and I will find my own  
__You build your bridges and I'll burn'em down  
__So far away and all alone I roam  
__I'll take my chances in the here and now_

_All you wonder is who's for sale  
__Well you won't know now and I won't tell  
__You're always hiding throwing up your hands  
__While heroes ride again  
__  
And gods only knows all the places I've been  
__But I love this life that I'm living in  
__I won't look back to regret yesterday  
__We're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today  
__  
__Another day and yet another's done  
__Spending a life living within the past  
__I'll take the chance before the chance has gone  
__You never know when it'll be your last  
__  
But you still wonder who's for sale  
__Well you won't know now and I won't tell  
__You're always hiding throwing up your hands  
__While heroes ride again_

_And god only knows all the places I've been  
__But I love this life that I'm living in  
__I won't look back to regret yesterday  
__We're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today_

_We'll know when we run out of time  
__Until it's all over with  
__And there'll be nowhere to run  
__We'll never say it but we're over our heads  
__And we're drowning inside with all the things we've said  
__  
And god only knows all the places I've been  
__But I love this life that I'm living in  
__I won't look back to regret yesterday  
__We're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today_

_God only knows all the places I've been  
__But I love this life that I'm living in  
__I won't look back to regret yesterday  
__We're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today_

(-)

As the music faded out the crowd burst into applause, just like every other time we've played in this bar. I'd never get tired of this life. But even as I knew that, I also knew that with my marriage to Sasha, things were going to change. And none of it for the worse.

(-)

Ryuu stood in front of a full-length mirror and looked at himself dressed in the tux he'd been fitted for not two weeks ago. And as he stood a realization struck him.

"Good God...I'm getting married..."

"It's good to know your mind is on topic for your wedding, Ryuu," Ryo said from the chair behind him. He was dressed in a tux as well, though from the looks of it the tux was well worn. When Ryuu had asked about it earlier Ryo had said it was the tux he wore to his own wedding.

Ryuu was shocked to say the least, it was sort of rare for a Japanese man to have a western wedding, but it didn't matter. Apparently it was shorter than the traditional Japanese wedding and Ryo had been...in a hurry...to get to his honeymoon. To say the least Ryuu now understood why Ryo had a happy marriage with his wife, Theo, and their 2 kids.

To make a long story short, Ryo wore it as sort of a good luck charm for Ryuu's own marriage. Ryuu thanked the man and turned to Akashi, his surrogate father.

"So, how do I look? Decent enough to be married to a beautiful woman in," He glanced at the clock, "20 minutes?"

Akashi nodded, his eyes shining with happiness and amusement, "You look fine, Ryuu. And I'm sure Sasha will think you look handsome."

"Geezus..." Ryuu sat down on a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands, "Who am I kidding? I don't think I'm ready for this..." He ran his hands through his hair a few times, removing the hair from its previous gelled perfection.

Akashi kneeled down in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?"

"Of course."

"Are you willing to work for it?"

"Absolutely."

Akashi stood and smiled down at the stressing young man, "Then you're as ready as you'll ever be, Ryuu."

Ryuu nodded and gave Akashi a smile of thanks just as the door opened to reveal his mother and Kasumi. They walked in with bright smiles and simply radiated happiness. Until Nodoka spotted her son's hair and frowned.

"Can't you keep your hair neat for your own wedding, son?" She asked as she started fussing with his spiked and blue striped hair.

Ryuu sighed, "What is your obsession with my hair, mom? Can't you simply leave it be?"

Kasumi nodded, "I'm afraid I agree with Ryuu-kun, Auntie. His hair looks quite handsome with the spikes."

"Thank you, Kasumi-chan."

"You're welcome, Ryuu-kun."

"But these spikes, they give you such a delinquent look..." Nodoka trailed off at the disbelieving look her son gave her. She sighed, "Oh, well I guess it _does_ suite you..."

Ryuu smiled, "I love you too, mom."

His mother suddenly engulfed him in a big, rib creaking, hug as she came close to tears, "My baby's growing up!"

Ryuu struggled weakly against the hug, "Mom...need air...ribs...creaking..."

She released him quickly, "Oh dear," A light blush from her embarrassment covered the bridge of her nose, "What a way to start the day, almost killing the groom..."

Everyone in the room slowly grew a sweat drop on the back of their heads and Ryuu silently waited for what he knew would next.

"That would most definitely be bad if I want many grandchildren in the future," Ryuu smiled lightly, his mother never failed to disappoint.

A knock on the door and Mike came in with a slightly embarrassed look, "Ryuu! Xian and Jon are at it again!"

Ryuu sighed and stood from his seat, "Excuse me. I have to separate a pair of fiancées," He walked out the door and made his way down the hallway towards where he felt Jon and Xian's ki signatures. As he made one turn he spotted the two leaning against the wall in a passionate kiss.

He cleared his throat once, then twice, before sighing and producing a thermos of cold water from sub-space. Throwing the water at the couple he now stood before an annoyed Jon and a soaked, hissing and spitting, white and purple cat.

"Save that kind of stuff for the honeymoon. Or at least get a room," Ryuu said as Jon bent down to pick up the wet cat by the scruff of her neck. Ryuu retrieved a thermos of hot water from subspace and handed it to Jon to pour over Xian.

He turned his back to the couple and spoke as Xian dressed herself, "You should head to the alter and make sure everything's ready. And if you can, Xian, can you go be my personal spy for a few minutes and go see how Sasha looks? I'm curious."

Xian spoke when she was fully dressed, "No, I'm not going to be your spy, you can wait until she comes to the alter," She waited until Ryuu turned to face them again before sticking her tongue out at him, "C'mon Jon, let's head to the alter."

Jon nodded, "See you later, Ryuu."

Ryuu nodded and returned to his room in time to see a familiar black cat stalk out of the room. He smiled as he remembered a week ago when Tony had disappeared from his mind. He'd been worried, I mean, if Tony was moving onto the afterlife wouldn't he have told his charge of almost 5 years?

A few days later a black cat appeared on their doorstep. Of course it was no ordinary cat, it had blue stripes, a blue tipped tail, and blue tipped ears of course. This cat could also speak. Which, to say the least, practically scared the shit out of both Ryuu and Sasha, who had been prepared to go food shopping.

He recalled the long talk the cat had given the both of them. Explaining to Ryuu that it was Tony and then explaining to Sasha _who_ Tony was. When Ryuu had asked why he'd left the confines of his mind Tony replied with, "I have nothing to teach you...and your thoughts kind of disturb me sometimes." Ryuu had had the decency to blush and mumble an apology before it was agreed to keep Tony around the house as "the family pet".

He grinned widely as he saw the red color around Tony's neck. Tony _hated_ that collar, with the passion of a thousand suns. But he also didn't want to get thrown in the pound for not having any form of I.D. Tony had sighed when he had it explained to him and began complaining of the sacrifices he'd made for his charge.

"What's up, Tony?" Ryuu asked.

"Checking up on the groom," Tony answered, "How're the nerves holding up?"

"Holding up pretty well considering I'm due to get married in 10 minutes..." Ryuu trailed off as he thought about it, "I never thought I'd get married."

"No one does, kid, no one does."

Ryuu shrugged, "Oh well, it's not like I regret any of this. As my song says: We're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today..." He hummed the tune to the song as he made his way into the room as Tony followed him back into the room.

For the next 10...(checks clock) sorry, 8 minutes, Ryuu hung out in the room with the men, as his mother had left to fuss over Sasha and Kasumi had gone to find her seat next to Nabiki. When it was finally time Ryuu walked out of the room, down the needed halls, and out towards the alter.

As the music of the organ filled the small church Ryuu became nervous. Butterflies that had been dormant a few moments now flew around his insides restlessly, causing his hands to become a bit sweaty.

Demons, rivals, perverts, and violent fiancees? Ryuu had handled them all with ease (mostly). But getting married? Now _that_ was an entirely different battlefield. One Ryuu was very unfamiliar with and knew he'd be getting a lot of experience quite soon.

The doors opened and the bridesmaids walked in arm in arm with a guy. Sam was the first one out with Mike on her arm, then Xian with Jon, after them were Melissa ("midget") and Jason, and then Sasha.

_I, wow,_ Ryuu's eyes widened as he caught sight of Sasha. The white dress she wore hugged all of her curves and had a silk-like sheen to it. As he watched her slowly walk up the aisle all doubts and nervousness left him. _Sasha looks...absolutely magnificent..._ (Ha! I bet you didn't even know Ryuu knew such big words! xD)

As she came closer and finally stood beside him, he smiled widely. No more doubts drifted through his mind. It was replaced with the confidence that he'd made the right decision and would never regrets it.

Sasha returned his smile and they both held hands, unconsciously intertwining their fingers, as they turned to face the priest. Whatever the priest had to say idly breezed by Ryuu's ears as he stared at his very-soon-to-be wife through the corner of his vision.

Her long black hair had been pulled back so that only one layer was tied back by a white tie while the rest hung down her shoulders freely. The two thick strands of hair that were always died red hung loose, framing her faintly flushed face.

A moment later he heard Sasha speak, "I do," and turned his attention back to the priest as he spoke to him.

"And do you, Ryuu Mouko, take Sasha to be your wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

Ryuu nodded, "I do."

"If there is any reason that these two people should not be joined together in holy matrimony, then speak now or forever hold your peace," There was a minute of silence and the priest nodded with a soft smile on his face as he spoke to the couple before, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Ryuu turned to Sasha and gently lifted her chin with his hand, bringing her lips closer to his, before finally kissing her softly with all the love he held for her. She returned the kiss they parted a few minutes later breathlessly as everyone around them clapped and whistled.

(-)

Later, at the reception, everyone gathered for the cake. The large 3-layer cake was coated in white frosting, blue and red frosting flowers, and little figurines at the top of the cake.

It had to have been the most delicious cake I'd ever eaten...of course what happened while we shared our cake was certainly delicious as well.

(-)

Ryuu took a decent sized chunk of his piece and offered it to Sasha, who did the same for him. At almost the same time, they smashed the cake piece into each other's face and laughed.

Ryuu leaned over and kissed her, inadvertently eating some of the cake on her lips as well. When he broke the kiss he smiled and then took his finger and wiped some more cake off her face.

"Tasty," a wide smile adorned both their faces.

(-)

After the reception our friends and family saw us off to our limo and then we were driven to one of the nicest hotels in Jersey. I have to say, the honeymoon was my favorite part. (Grin)

(-)

In the background we hear Ryuu singing the song "Lovercall" as all of this goes on.

_I love it when it goes like...BOOM!_

Ryuu helped Sasha out of limo and they both walked into the hotel. They approached the hotel clerk and retrieved their room keys before heading into the elevator.

_Now I might not be the flashiest dresser in the room  
__And I might not know how to look a girl in the eye  
__I might not have the right pick-up lines  
__But I'll tell you what I got_

The ding of the elevator sounded and they got off at the 5th floor. They made their way down the hall and Ryuu grabbed one of the keys to open the door.

_You see when I was growing up  
__I got the inside scoop  
__I used to watch all the older fellows work down the block  
__That's right, when they used to work I used to watch  
__And when I watched, I'd learn...the lovercall, baby_

As the door opened Ryuu turned and picked Sasha up in the most appropriate way. Bridal style. And he walked through the door with her in his arms, careful not to smack her head on the doorjamb.

_If you wanna do it, do it right  
__Up and down, side to side  
__Baby we can do it for a night  
__Don't hold me back_

He placed her on the bed and looked to the side to see their suitcases near the large dresser. He turned back to her and kissing her deeply. She broke the kiss and pushed him away gently as she stood up. She moved over to their suitcase and retrieved something from it; all Ryuu saw was a brief glimpse of red.

She poked his chest and sat down on the edge of the bed, "You stay right here. I'm just going to get comfortable."

The sly grin on her face made Ryuu grin and he watched walk into the bathroom, keeping whatever she had retrieved from their suitcase out of his view.

_Now you gotta look sharp fellows  
__And you gotta act right  
__No woman in her right mind is gonna waste her time  
__If you ain't on time_

Ryuu undid his tie and took of the dress coat, leaving him in a long white shirt that he was in the process of unbuttoning while he simultaneously removed his shoes with his feet. A task that he was having a bit of trouble with. He unbuttoned his shirt before bending down and working on removing his shoes and socks.

_Let's not talk about how I know that  
__I'm just here to pass down what I know to you_

He was in the middle of removing his shirt when the bathroom door opened.

_You see when I was growing up  
__I got the inside scoop  
__I used to watch all the older fellas work down the block  
__That's right, when they used to work I used to watch  
__And when I watched I'd learn...the lovercall baby_

Sasha stood there in a lacy red, satin nightgown. It was soon thin Ryuu wasn't sure if he could call it decent. But it was there honeymoon and at the moment his mind didn't care. Nor was it exactly functioning properly.

_If you wanna do it, do it right  
__Lick it up, side to side_

Sasha walked over to him with a seductive sway to her hips and stopped before him. She leaned towards him and gave him an excellent view into her nightgown. Being so close Ryuu had finally noticed that Sasha had gone...commando.

His mind froze again, worse than before and he idly watched Sasha pout.

"All that flirting and when it comes time to keep your promise you go and freeze up on me?"

Ryuu's mouth moved but no sound came out. Sasha giggled at him before leaning forward even more and kissing him passionately. Slowly his mind rebooted and he pulled her deeper into the kiss.

He slowly lay back on the bed, neither ever breaking the kiss, and Sasha crawled onto the bed and over him. When they finally broke the kiss she smiled down at him as she knelt over him on all fours.

"Ready for our honeymoon now?"

_Baby we can do it for a night  
__Don't hold me back_

"Absolutely."

**The End**

A/N: W00t! (Confetti and noisemakers go off) I finally finished! (pauses) Almost. All that's left is the epilogue. Which should actually tie up any loose ends that I might've left hanging. And then the beginning of the story (the first chapter) is going to get edited to fit the actual story. _THEN_ the story will be finished.

Before I go, I wanna give a big thanks to Ryan L. Spradling for..."motivating" me to get my ass writing. If it wasn't for Ryan you'd still waiting for this chapter. n.n;;

I hope to see a lot more reviews for this chapter than the last one. So you people better review! Or I'll make you all wait a full month before I post my epilogue. And don't think I won't do it either, cause I will, despite any threats Ryan might make. I'm a desperate woman looking for some reviews! Can't you grant me _that_ much?

Reviews are always welcome and flames will be used to fend off the lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil


	17. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: Ranma and co. are property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sasha and the others are my own creations. Aside from Usagi and the senshi, they're not mine either, nor do they actually appear within this chapter. But I just wanted to avoid being sued. n.n

A/N: Wow, either the wait for chapters has caused me to lose readers or no one actually cares enough to review anymore...wow my generation is lazy... Anywho, I'm gonna answer the few reviews I received at the bottom of the chapter. Until then enjoy the story.

Epilogue - With Marriage Comes Many Surprises

Hey, Sasha here. I'll be finishing up the series since Ryuu's currently busy with...well, I'll get to that later. But I'll be your narrator for today. Hope that's okay with you.

Last Ryuu left you; you had all seen the beginning of our honeymoon. During our honeymoon we both took the time to...experiment and learn things about each other. Ryuu enjoyed the many sets of lingerie I had brought for the occasion and was always happy to know I had plenty more waiting at home. (Sly smile) Who said he was the only one who could be perverted? Of course, I didn't truly know how flexible Ryuu was until our honeymoon. I'd say more, but I'm sure that that sentence alone is self-explanatory.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. As was the case of our honeymoon once the week was over. Though it really didn't come to end, since, to tell you the truth, our experimenting continued well through the first year of our marriage.

(Grin) Ryuu looks forward to each visit to lingerie store, which makes many of the women there jealous. I think he's the only guy in Jersey, aside from the gay ones, who can walk into a lingerie store without passing out with a nosebleed and with a smile that isn't 100 percent perverted.

But I digress. As I was saying, once our week alone was over we headed home to find a couple guests. (Pauses) Now how did he say those flashbacks were done? (Shuffling papers) Ah, here it is...

(-)

Ryuu laughed as he chased his wife to the house. She spun around and he pinned her against door, sensually kissing the side of her neck.

"Ryuu...please...wait until we're at least in the house," Sasha tried to reason.

Of course Ryuu was known for being unreasonable, "Why? I don't sense anyone outside...and besides there are people inside..." He mumbled against her neck.

Sasha blinked and forcibly removed his lips from her neck; "We have people in our house?"

Ryuu nodded then paused, "Yeah...Mom, Nabiki, Kasumi, and...hey, Tofu's here," He said the last with a wider smile.

She sighed and placed her hands on his shoulders, "You go get our suitcase, I'll go in and see what they're up to."

Ryuu leaned down and kissed her again before shaking his head, "Nope, I'm gonna get the suitcase and then we'll both go in and see what they're up to."

Sasha would've refused but he was staring at her with those puppy dog eyes and was tracing patterns on the sides of her stomach with his thumbs, the latter was driving her insane with desire. She sighed again, "Fine. But you owe me mister."

He grinned widely, "Of course," And then he went to grab their suitcase from the back of the taxi that was still parked on the side of the road. After paying the cab driver it drove off and Ryuu walked towards the door again, this time with their suitcase in his hand.

Sasha smiled at him and moved to unlock the door; only it was already unlocked, "Looks like they were expecting us."

He shrugged and pushed the door open with his free hand. Letting Sasha walk in first, he followed shortly after. As soon as they cleared the doorway and Ryuu had put their luggage on the ground they were engulfed in a huge hug, courtesy Ryuu's mother.

As they both returned the hug Sasha gave him a look that clearly said, "Why didn't you see this coming?" His reply was, "Even _I_ can't see my mother's glomps coming."

Nodoka laughed and smiled at the two as she released them from her hug/glomp, "So? How was the honeymoon? Should I expect any grandchildren within the next several months?"

They both sweat dropped as they answered, "Not this year, Mom."

"Maybe next year."

Nodoka looked a bit crestfallen but brightened up. They hadn't completely rejected the idea of children, so there was still hope...

"Oh, such delicious smells," Ryuu said as he wandered around the half wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen. As he walked into the kitchen he gave Kasumi a big hug from behind, "Kami, I've missed your cooking."

Kasumi smiled and her gentle laughter filled the air, "Why thank you, Ryuu-kun. The food will be ready in a couple minutes," She turned her smiling visage to Sasha, "It's good to see you again, Sasha."

Sasha was a bit bitter at the fact that Kasumi cooked better than her, but she had to admit, Kasumi was a damn good cook. A master of the kitchen if there ever was one. And that bright smile just made it so hard to be mad at her...

"The same goes for me, Kasumi-san," Sasha replied with a smile. Well, she didn't have to mad at Kasumi, she just had to get back at Ryuu.

Ryuu had walked into the den to see Nabiki and Tofu sitting on the larger of their two couches and flipping through the channels. He plopped himself in between the two and snuggled into the cushions behind him.

"I missed this couch. Many good memories made here," Ryuu had the satisfaction of seeing both Nabiki jump off the couch with a slightly bewildered look and Tofu look at her reaction with a confused expression.

"Don't worry, Nabiki, we saved all that for our honeymoon," Sasha said as she walked into the room.

"Aw, you're no fun, Sasha," Ryuu said, ignoring Nabiki's glare and raising an eyebrow at Sasha as she stuck her tongue out at him, "Unless you plan on using that tongue I suggest you keep it in your mouth, love."

Sasha's tongue disappeared back into her mouth and Ryuu's smile took on a slightly smug look. Sasha walked over to him and sat down heavily on his lap; she was treated with the sight of Ryuu's eyes crossing for a brief moment before they stopped dilating.

"That was mean," Of course the fact that his eyes weren't crossed or dilated didn't remove the slight shift in octaves from his voice. His reply was a giggle as his wife leaned back and used him as a chair.

(-)

Turns out Kasumi and Tofu had begun dating a few days after the wedding reception. It's been almost two years since then and we're expecting the good doctor to propose to Kasumi soon.

Nabiki got a bit bored with Japan and moved to Jersey, she actually lives two blocks down from us now. She started dating this nice young man...(starts laughing)...sorry, sorry, I just wanted to see how well I could keep a straight face saying that. Yes, Nabiki found a boyfriend. But this boy just happened to be Mike. Yes, _our_ Mike.

It was a shock to all of us when we found out. I mean, Nabiki and Mike, it was...unbelievable at the time. But we eventually got used to it. I guess Mike's been on his best behavior since Ryuu's been acting like the protective older brother, despite his being a year younger.

But I have a feeling he would've behaved him self anyway. Mike really seems to like Nabiki and, even though you'd have to know her pretty well to notice, I'm quite sure she likes him a lot too.

And then there's Sam. Sam was a shock to everyone except Ryuu and me. Me, because Sam and me are best friends and we know everything about each other. Yes, that means she knows how Ryuu is in bed. But I digress; Ryuu knew about it because he guessed correctly.

(-)

It was after lunch and everyone hanging out at Uncle Dan's bar, slowly sipping their drinks and generally enjoying themselves. Sam had called a group meeting but she was late to the meeting. That in itself was weird because Sam was never late.

A few minutes later she appeared in the doorway, "Sorry, I'm late guys."

"It's about time," Mike said, "I was about to start on my 3rd drink."

"In that case I'd be early," Sam replied, referring to Mike's habit of consuming liters of soda in the course of a half hour, "Anyway, I called you all here to meet my girlfriend, Kate."

Suffice to say Mike fell off his stool and Jon simply smiled and nodded at the girl. Sasha smiled and waved at Kate, having met her before, it was no surprise to see her holding Sam's hand in her own.

Ryuu's reaction was to nod once and say, "I knew she was bi."

Sam looked at him, "How'd you know?"

Ryuu smirked, "Because you weren't attracted to me like normal girls. You simply appraised my dashing good looks and then moved on," He nodded to himself and Sasha poked the side of his head.

"Leave the ego for the bedroom, hon."

Ryuu saluted, "Yes, ma'am!"

(-)

After that Kate was welcomed into our circle easily and she got along with everyone. Especially Ryuu, for some reason sexual innuendos and perverted positions are their way of playing around. I'm fine with it since I know for a fact Kate's a lesbian.

Anyway, I'm certain you're all just _dying_ to know how Ryuu and me have been doing for the past two years so I'll start on how our lives have gone.

Exactly one year after our wedding I found myself very much pregnant. Morning sickness, mood swings, and everything else that comes along with a pregnancy. And poor Ryuu took the brunt of it all.

He was there to comfort me when I was sick. He endured my mood swings. And helped as best he could, avoiding cooking the meals that made me sick to my stomach and preparing the snacks that made _him_ sick to his stomach.

We went for the sonograms a month later to make sure the baby was healthy and to find out what we were having. Turns out I was two months pregnant and we were having a baby girl. It took us several days to figure out a name for the baby. But we eventually settled on Iris.

6 months after the initial sonogram, baby Iris Metsuretsu was born. Metsuretsu since Ryuu had taken my name, for a reason he still won't tell me to this very day. Damnable stubborn man he is...

We declared Sam her godmother and Jon her godfather, we would've chose Mike but we figured Jon would be a bit more responsible. Mike doesn't seem to mind simply being an uncle however.

Afterwards we took her home and placed her in her new room. We had re-designed Ryuu's room and made it into a bedroom suitable for young Iris.

As days turned to weeks we watched our little girl slowly grow. When she was just born her hair had been black, but now it was turning even darker, it was quite close to ebony black. Her eyes, which had been a light gray, slowly became blue, though they still held a tint of gray to them.

And, as do all babies, they eventually learn to crawl. Iris is working on that now, which is why Ryuu isn't writing this chapter, he's playing with Iris in the den.

Ryuu is turning out to be an excellent father to Iris. He's careful and helps out whenever he can, which, amazingly enough, includes the changing of diapers. And yes, there are _many_ diaper changes that happen within this house. Who knew such a small child could go through so many?

Ryuu's cut down on the concerts a bit so he could spend more time with me and Iris, he still does a minimum of a concert a week at the bar and is still writing lyrics and all that. But his life centers more around Iris and I than it did before.

And, well, you get the point. Ryuu's been a big help with the baby. I guess it helps that Iris seems to enjoy music. She loves listening to Ryuu sing and play his guitar; it's how we get her to sleep most nights.

(-)

Sasha finished typing her sentence before saving the document. She turned to look at Ryuu as he laid on the floor on his back and let Iris sit on his stomach. It was cute to watch him make funny faces at her and make her laugh.

Glancing at the clock, Sasha shut off the monitor and stood from her chair, making her way towards her husband and daughter. She picked up Iris and moved to sit on the couch as she rocked the young child to sleep.

Sasha's soft smile brightened a bit more as Ryuu moved to sit beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back against his chest and watched as Iris' eyes were slowly lulled to sleep.

Ryuu closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of the two most important girls in his life wrapped in his arms.

**Yes, This Really _Is_ The End.**

**Reviews:**

**ss4-link** **-** Yeah, yeah, no need to start threatening too. I got the chapter finished and uploaded didn't I?

**Ryo's destiny -** Yeah, I answered all those question about a minute after you reviewed. So I've got nothing to say. n.n

**ranma hibiki - **Yes, messing with Tony would _definitely_ be safer than peeping on Ryuu.

**Wonderbee31 -** Thank you! I'll be looking for your name on my review list for any of my other stories. n.n

**Sonic 1** - Thank you!

A/N: Yes, that really _was_ all of the reviews I got. Lazy people. I guess it doesn't really matter much anymore since the story's over. But I still would've liked to hit 200 reviews before this chapter came out...oh wells. I'll get over it.

Once I finish re-writing the first chapter here I'll be switching my focus to The Shadows Are Dancing, as per request of Ryan L. Spradling, Hell's Favorite Demon, and most likely The Story of A Prince for the Ratchet & Clank section of ffnet.

Any fictions outside of those three will be occasional chapter editing and any one-shots I may write my spare time. I'm hoping to churn out chapters for those a bit faster than I did for MS. One of my New Year's Resolutions. n.n;;

Anyway, before I go I want to give a huge thanks to Ryo's destiny for being my pre-reader. Smals, if it wasn't for youI'm sure this fic would've had three times as many errors as usual and you also helped me out when I need to make important decisions, like who the bartender would be in Ryo's club, and things like that. You were a huge help and I thank you for that.

I'd like to thank Ryan L. Spradling, who got special mentions in the last two chapters as well, for reminding me to write the last 3 chapters. If it wasn't for you, this thing probably wouldn't even be finished yet. So I thank you for your help.

And last, but never least, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and read this story. Mostly those of you who reviewed. By reviewing you let me know that people were actually reading my work and made me feel like I actually had a reason to write this.

So, to everyone who I've mentioned and those who I haven't... **THANK YOU!** You're all greatly appreciated. n.n

As per normal, reviews are welcomed and flames are used to fight the lawyers.

-Lov3the3vil

**AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SANDMAN HAND ME A DREAM READERS: **I'm going to be putting SHMAD on hiatus until further notice. I have to do some re-writing for the second chapter, as a couple of reviewers have pointed out that it seemed rushed, and I need to figure out an actual plot for the story. I have a habit of creating a story and then being clueless as to where I want to go from there. I'm hoping to rid myself of this habit...eventually.


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